Seasonal performances of music and drama are...

Seasonal performances of music and drama are in full swing in the Southland. A wide variety of oratorios, plays and carol sing-alongs is offered:

Handel’s “Messiah” will be performed by the choir of All Saints’ Parish in Beverly Hills at 5 p.m. Sunday. Thomas Foster will conduct a full baroque orchestra. Soloists are soprano Camille King, countertenor Dana Marsh, tenor Gary Glaze and baritone Casey Criste. Organist Craig Phillips will also perform. $10 requested donation, $5 students and seniors. 504 N. Camden Drive. (310) 275-2910.

* An original musical play based on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” will be presented at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in West Los Angeles at 7 p.m. today. Written by Victoria E. Rhodes, with musical direction by Ruth Kawamoto, the play features church members of all ages in a contemporary setting. Tickets are $5. 11000 National Blvd. (310) 477-2513.

* St. Matthew’s Music Guild presents its annual family holiday concert and sing-along at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Matthew’s Church in Pacific Palisades. A choir and chamber orchestra led by Thomas Neenan will perform Part I of Handel’s “Messiah” during the first half of the concert, followed by an intermission with refreshments and a sing-along of favorite holiday carols and seasonal songs. Children 16 and under are invited to attend free. Craft activities are available by reservation for $5 for children ages 6 through 12 during the first half of the program. Adult admission is $10 or a Music Guild season pass. The guild is a musical outreach organization. 1031 Bienveneda Ave. For information and reservations, phone (310) 454-1358.

* A program of sacred and secular Christmas music, drama and family fun will be presented by San Dimas Wesleyan Church at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Dec. 18. There will also be a performance at 2 p.m. Dec. 18. Nursery care will be provided. Donations accepted. 125 E. Gladstone Ave., San Dimas. (909) 599-1603.

* Cantor Svetlana Portnyanskaya will give a concert of opera, classical and stage music in English, Russian, Hebrew, Yiddish, Italian and Spanish at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at Temple Beth Torah. Reserved seats are $15. 11827 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 827-3066.

* St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach presents a performance of Christmas music by the church’s 110-voice sanctuary choir and 30-piece orchestra at 8 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Dec. 18. The music includes Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Christmas Carols” and “Fantasia on Greensleeves” and many favorite selections. There will be a sing-along of some carols. Tickets are $5, children $3, and must be ordered in advance. (714) 574-2253.

DATES

* The International Buddhist Meditation Center in Los Angeles will hold its Grand Ordination Ceremony at 9:30 a.m. today at the center’s Ananda Hall. “For the first time, American masters trained by Asians will be ordaining their own disciples,” said the Ven. Karuna Dharma, abbess of the center. “It will also be the first ceremony in the United States to include masters from the three major branches of Buddhism: Theravada, Mayahana and Vajrayana,” she added. The ceremony, preceded by a procession of the masters, is open to the public. 924 S. New Hampshire Ave. For information, phone (213) 384-0850.

* More than 20 local goldsmiths, gemologists and crafts people from the Westside will exhibit their wares at a holiday jewelry and ethnic craft fair at the Church in Ocean Park in Santa Monica from 1 until 5 p.m. Sunday. Jewelry repair is also offered. Proceeds will be divided between the artists and the church. 235 Hill St. (310) 399-5823.

* “Sacred Encounters: Father De Smet and the Indians of the Rocky Mountain West” is a multimedia exhibit on view through Jan. 8 at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. For the museum address, hours and admission fees, phone (213) 744-3466.

* Woodland Hills Community Church has inaugurated a weekly evening service at 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Designed for children and adults, the service features a rock band of church members. 21338 Dumetz Road (818) 346-0820.

* “Turning Friday Night into Shabbat” is a special beginners’ service followed by dinner at Temple Mishkon Tephilo in Venice at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The entire Sabbath celebration will be explained and questions answered. Admission is $15 per person or $45 per family. Reservations must be received by Monday. Those who live beyond walking distance of the synagogue may call for Shabbat hospitality. (310) 392-3029.

* Jewish legal expert Rabbi Dovid Cohen of Congregation Gvul Yaabetz of Brooklyn will speak to men and women on “Whistle-Blowing in a Democratic Society: What to Do When the Authorities Should Know About Suspected Spousal and Child Abuse or Fraud” at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the Beit Midrash of the Yeshiva of Los Angeles. He will also present lectures to men and women on Friday and Saturday at the same location. He will present “Future Shock: Patterns of Jewish History Revealed in the Book of Genesis,” at 7 p.m. Friday; “Ancient Text/Modern Science: Contemporary Scientific Principles Found in the Talmud” during 10:15 a.m. services Saturday, and “The Poisoned Quill: A Historical and Legal Analysis of Censorship and the Textual Emendation of the Talmud” during 4 p.m. services. Admission is free. Meals may be arranged in advance for a fee of $13.50. 9760 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. For information or meal reservations, phone (310) 553-4478, ext. 285.

Notices may be sent to Southern California File by mail c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or by fax to (213) 237-4712. Items must be brief and arrive at least three weeks before the event. Include a phone number, date, time and full address.