NEW MADRID CALLS CLASS TO SESSION RESTORED THEATER A CULTURAL EPICENTER ON SHERMAN WAY.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

First came Rudolph Valentino. Then pornographic reruns. Finally, the clear, high voices of Strauss and Mozart played Sunday at the Madrid Theater in Canoga Park.

From the rubble of the Pussycat Theater has emerged a new beacon of culture in the San Fernando Valley. Since it opened two years ago, the Madrid Theater has drawn 50,000 high brows a year to a once-seedy neighborhood.

Last week, Sharon Davis, wife of Gov. Gray Davis, declared Sherman Way a Main Street U.S.A. revitalization district. And chic hangouts such as the Madrid Cafe have joined a street teeming with antique treasure chests.

``This used to be sticky floors and rubber chairs,'' said Valley Cultural Center Director of Operations John Hammond, admiring the acoustically correct concert hall in cool blue, gray and wooden hues. ``We like to think of this as a different kind of community outreach.''

Reach out it has. On Sunday, nearly 300 well-dressed patrons filled the lower stadium seats for the last of the VCC Neighborhood Concerts - a Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra performance of two concertos by Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

``I anticipate very high marks,'' said Arher Hirshberg, 73, of Encino before the first note sounded. ``I know they are superior.''

``I'm looking forward to it,'' said 9-year-old Derek Green of Oak Park in Ventura County. ``I like classical. It's cool. Every once in a while I get bored, but if there's music I like, I get happy.''

The lights dimmed. Coughs suppressed. And in a Valley once scorned for its cultural aridity, a lyrical oboe sounded a harmonious precursor to a warm holiday season.

High culture, arts enthusiasts say, brings high-mindedness. The VCC will increase its Monday Morning Madrid concerts from six to 13 a year. And the 470-seat Madrid Theater has grown to 100 performances of symphony, musicals, drama and other cultural events.

The Madrid Theater, built in 1926, was rebuilt after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the city of Los Angeles. Inside hang splashes from local artists. Outside is a neighborhood in transition.

``More and more people are discovering where the Madrid Theater is and are very surprised at what they find,'' said Anisa Hamdan, performing arts theater manager for the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.

On Dec. 16, the Madrid Theater will host ``Holiday Festival of Music'';on Dec. 17, ``Hannukah at Home''; on Dec. 23, ``Benjamin and Judah: A Hanukkah Musical.'' For information, call [phone].