3 pm: Music

Ensemble P.A.N., also known as Ensemble Project Ars Nova, brings music of Hildegard von Bingen and from the great cathedrals of Notre Dame and Worcester, music from the 14th and 15th centuries to a 1928 Pasadena landmark as part of the Chamber Music in Historic Sites series.

* Ensemble P.A.N., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1757 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena. $19-$28. (310) 954-4300.

2 pm: Benefit

Comedian Heidi Joyce leads a group of female stand-up comics, including Stephanie Miller and Margaret Cho, in a comedy show, “Stand Up Against Domestic Violence,” to benefit the Safe Harbor programs of the Theatre of Hope for Abused Women. Caroline Rhea from the TV series “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” and others are scheduled to appear. This is the first of four comedy benefits to be held every Sunday at 2 p.m. in December at the Bitter Truth.

* “Stand Up Against Domestic Violence,” Bitter Truth Theatre, 11050 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. $7. (818) 766-9702.

7:30 pm: Reading

Ed Asner headlines in a concert reading of Herb Schapiro’s drama “The Love Song of Saul Alinsky.” The play, based on the life and work of Chicago political activist and ‘60s folk hero Alinsky, is a benefit for Theatre 40.

* “The Love Song of Saul Alinsky,” Theatre 40, Beverly Hills High School campus, 241 Moreno Drive. $40. (213) 876-8980.

10:30 am: Discussion

What can novels of mystery and suspense tell us about our lives? Married mystery writers Jonathan Kellerman (“Survival of the Fittest”) and Faye Kellerman (“Serpent’s Tooth”) will ponder this question and more in “The Heart of the Mystery,” a breakfast discussion at the Skirball Cultural Center.

* “The Heart of the Mystery,” Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Continental breakfast at 10:30 a.m. followed by program at 11 a.m. General admission including breakfast, $12; members, $10; students, $6. (213) 660-TKTS.

7:30 pm: Music

With a choir of men and boys and an orchestra of original instruments, the Paulist Boy Choristers present their annual, near-authentic performance of Handel’s “Messiah” with guest soloists from Canada: soprano Ann Monoyios and tenor Benjamin Butterfield. Countertenor Dana Marsh (who also conducts) and bass Curtis Streetman are the other soloists.

* Paulist Boy Choristers, with orchestra and soloists, sing Handel’s “Messiah,” St. Paul the Apostle Church, 10750 Ohio Ave., Westwood. $12-$35. (310) 475-2070.

7 pm: Benefit

Gregory Hines, Joe Mantegna and John Ritter head the list of actors slated to perform in “Season’s G’readings,” an evening of performance, music and refreshments presented as part of the Great Writers’ Series: Holidays at the MET as a benefit for the MET Theatre Foundation. Hines returns for a second performance Dec. 14.

* “Season’s G’readings,” MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Hollywood. Also Dec. 14, 7 p.m. $50. (213) 957-1152.

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FREEBIE: Holiday Street Festival takes up nine blocks of Main Street in Ventura. 11 a.m. (805) 654-7830.