A classically tough sell

"If I don’t do this right," says composer Kenneth LaFave, "I’ll be working at McDonald’s." He’s talking about lining up commissions for new works, now that his old day job as classical music critic for a Valley newspaper is several months behind him and he’s trying to make his living by writing music.

At least for now, things are certainly going right. Not one but two bought-and-paid-for works by LaFave will premiere at Arizona State University in the next few weeks.

First, on Saturday, comes ‘‘Gateways,’’ a concerto for electric guitar, blues singer, jazz choir and band. That’s "band" as in symphonic wind ensemble. LaFave and ASU band director Gary Hill wanted to get people excited about new classical music, which is something that hasn’t happened much since about World War I. LaFave’s contribution to the effort is ‘‘Gateways,’’ written for and performed by New York jazz guitar virtuoso Paul Bollenback.

The 8 p.m. performance of ‘‘Gateways’’ is part of a large ASU music event that day called SoundRave. It begins at 5 p.m. with students on the Gammage lawn performing hip-hop etudes for acoustic instruments, and continues with a battle of the bands (the rock, reggae and punk kind).

LaFave’s "Gateways" will share main billing with the Western U.S. premiere of "Circus Maximus," the Symphony No. 3 of Pulitzer Prizeand Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano. That work draws parallels between the decadence of the Roman Empire and contemporary American culture.

OPERA BASED ON PAINTING

The subject will be the traditional American heartland Nov. 18-19, when ASU’s Herberger Mainstage Lyric Opera Theatre premieres LaFave’s other new work: "American Gothic," a 90-minute opera inspired by the famous Grant Wood painting of a dour farm couple, their barn and a pitchfork.

LaFave and librettist Robert Kastenbaum first produced the opera in 2003 as a 45-minute work with three singers and minimal instrumental accompaniment. Lyric Opera director William Reber saw a video of the event and wanted to mount his own production — but only if the story were fleshed out, the opera longer with more characters and full orchestration.

Things were going badly for LaFave at his newspaper job, especially since his commissions were seen as conflicts of interest, and he knew he’d soon be out of work. So he financed his departure by persuading six patrons to pay his expenses for the next few months while he expanded "American Gothic."

Leading composers such as Corigliano and John Adams enjoy six-figure fees for their operas; LaFave notes that what he earned for "American Gothic" was "less than a third of the way to six figures," but it was enough to give him independence — for now. The challenge will be to keep the commissions rolling in.

UPDATING A TRADITION

Opera commissions become available only slightly more often than the White Sox winning the World Series, so LaFave’s more practical plans include talking individuals into paying him to write their own theme songs, or musical portraits.

At the same time, he wants to maintain a steady presence in the traditional concert hall, yet he knows that won’t be easy.

"There’s still not a recognition on the part of orchestras, especially, that there really is a hunger on the part of the audience for new music," he says. "People talk about the classical tradition, but an uncontinued tradition is a dead one. If classical music goes no further, it will die."

SoundRave Where: Gammage Auditorium and lawn, Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard, Tempe When: 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday Cost: Free Information: (480) 965-6447

Kenneth LaFave’s

"American Gothic" Where: Evelyn Smith Music Theatre, Mill Avenue and Gammage Parkway, Tempe When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17-18 Cost: $5-$20 Information: (480) 965-6447