There is only one London Chop House.

Doug Graham, left, Erica Peresman and David Jaffe make plans for a
forthcoming Overtures event.

"We wanted to make clear
that you didn't have to be
knowledgeable about
classical music," Peresman
said. "Some people are in-
timidated by classical music
and weren't getting involved
(in the symphony). We wanted
to take away that intimida-
tion."
To do that, the Overtures
committee arranged a series
of concert parties, beginning

The long-term
success of the
DSO is getting
younger people
involved:

last February. The committee
arranges a party before or
after the concert where music
lovers can meet each other
and members of the or-
chestra. "People seem to be
interested in having a
package," Peresman said. A
dessert party was held at the
Rattlesnake Club, a dessert
afterglow at the Renaissance
Club, a pre-concert gathering
was held on the Millender
Center's rooftop in May and
this summer there will be two
concert parties at Meadow
Brook in Rochester Hills.
The first of these, at 6 p.m.
June 25, will include a pre-
concert light supper featuring
Spanish tapas, with the con-
cert following at 8 p.m. On
Aug. 13, an old fashioned pic-
nic will precede the 8 p.m.
concert of Liszt, Gershwin
and Strauss pieces, followed
by fireworks.
What distinguishes the
group from other DSO af-
filiates is its target age group
and that it is not designed for
fund-raising. "We consider
ourselves a complementary
part of DSO activities," Jaffe
said. "The kinds of events,
tone and feel of events are dif-
ferent."

There is no membership fee
and each of the events is self-

supporting, with the cost for
publicity and promotion built
into the package ticket price.
In addition to supplying
the guests with the means for
having a good time, the Over-
tures committee tries to add
a subtle educational element,
such as a fireside chat with
one of the musicians.
Persons who attend the
Overtures activities can also
be assured of meeting new
people. "We're not a mat-
chmaking organization,"
Peresman cautioned. "We're
providing an alternative way
of meeting people."
Jaffe is active in the Jewish
community as well as in the
Overtures group. He is the
president of the Detroit
Chapter of the American
Jewish Committee, on the
board of the Jewish Com-
munity Council and a
member of a Jewish Welfare
Federation budgeting com-
mittee. Peresman is on the
board of the Detroit Chapter
of the AJCommittee and in-
volved in the local black-
Jewish dialogue. They are
members of Temple
Emanu-El.
Jaffe hopes to build a base
for future sponsors of the
DSO.
Overtures is comprised of
persons from "different in-
dustries, backgrounds and
ethnic groups," Peresman
said. The steering and
organizational committees
are divided into five subcom-
mittees — marketing, publici-
ty, hosting, events planning
and education — charged
with the planning and ex-
ecuting of the events.
"We think younger people
will enjoy Overtures more
than what the older groups
do," Jaffe said."Young people
who are not now lovers of
classical music will now be
able to enjoy it."
To get on the mailing list
write Overtures, Ford
Auditorium, Detroit,
48226.

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