Philharmonic Tries a Little Bit of ‘Style’ : Music: Marketing strategy is designed to lure new subscribers to its newest series. At least 2,720 from the target ‘upscale’ group have taken the bait. A sellout is expected for Saturday’s inaugural concert.

The gala evening begins with a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where the works of Ed Ruscha are expected to get as much scrutiny as the fancy hors d’oeuvres. The reception fare--served by a special caterer--includes warm Brie en croute, sun-dried tomatoes with pine nuts and exotic drinks. The evening goes into the night with dancing to the Rudy Regalado salsa band. And, oh yes, in between is a Mozart concert in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with Andre Previn conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

It’s party time at the Philharmonic.

At least it will be for the 2,720 new subscribers to “Philharmonic Style,” the new series targeted to the upscale crowd that kicks off Saturday night. And a sellout crowd is expected.

“Philharmonic Style” is a three-concert, Saturday-night series. Each event starts with a 6 o’clock food-and-wine reception at MOCA, just down the street from the Music Center. Subscribers can leave the reception early to attend the 7 p.m. pre-concert lecture at the Pavilion, or linger over caviar tortes, San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water and other goodies before taking a shuttle bus up to the Pavilion for the 8 o’clock Philharmonic concert.

After Mozart--or, on subsequent programs, Beethoven/Berlioz or Haydn/Carter/Sibelius, led by, respectively, Roger Norrington and Esa-Pekka Salonen--comes the post-concert party.

Saturday, on the Founders Level, music for dancing will be provided by the 14-piece salsa band. One floor up and one floor down, there will be Caribbean-style desserts for the subscribers, as well as no-host liquor and coffee bars.

“Philharmonic Style,” or, as the 8-page series brochure calls it, “P.S.,” is the brainchild of Ernest Fleischmann, the Philharmonic Assn.’s executive vice president and managing director, who says that his marketing programs are a team effort, but acknowledges that “This was one of those ideas that come to administrators while in the shower.”

Beginning the week before Thanksgiving, the Philharmonic’s marketing department set about to reach--and bring in--that toughest and most fickle group of potential classical music-lovers, young people in the age category 25-45.

“For a long time,” says Fleischmann, “We’ve been made aware that this whole group (of potential subscribers) has had no musical education, because of what happened in the schools (in recent decades).

“We have tried various way to bring them into our audiences. This one project grew out of our continuing relationship with MOCA--with whom we sometimes do marketing in connection with our New Music Group concerts. Basically, we are always trying to get a closer relationship with organizations from the other arts.”

The idea, Fleischmann says, was to create a night out, “better, a special evening, which people in this group would find irresistible.”

At top price of $118.50 for the best seats in the house down to $88.50 for balcony, the evening includes everything except the no-host bar after the concert,

Contemporary art and contemporary food plus dancing after the concert seemed a strong formula.

“We never thought we’d be this successful,” said Stephen Belth, director of marketing and communications for the Philharmonic, Thursday morning in reporting a sold-out house for the first of these “Style” concerts, 85% of it on subscription.

“We set a target of 2,200 subscriptions for this first series,” Fleischmann said. “When we got to 2,600, we realized it was working.”

The managing director says he expects 90% of the subscribers to attend the post-concert party. “Using all three floors of the public spaces, we’ll not be too crowded. But the Grand Hall (where the dancing will take place) might be overpopulated.”

The menu at the MOCA reception, according to Cynthia Anderson of the museum staff, will also include sauteed mushrooms and herbs, prosciutto and herbs with French bread and crudites, served with wine and Asahi beer.

At the post-concert party, desserts include Jamaican rum cake, coconut cookie bars, mango mousse tartlets, lime-curd cake, Kahlua cheesecake, ginger shortbread cookies and fruit kabobs with coconut caramel cream dipping sauce.

Is this a singles event? No, says Belth.

“We have not tried to make this a singles event. In fact, many couples have bought tickets, and some groups, too. But we have noticed a lot of single-ticket subscriptions sold. I think this audience will represent a cross-section of the city.”

Remaining dates in the “Philharmonic Series” are March 30 and April 20.