In the 2022 film Tár, Cate Blanchett plays a formidable and intimidating conductor. She suffers no fools. She demands of musicians that they sacrifice – even destroy – themselves.
“You must service the composer,” she says. “You’ve got to sublimate yourself, your ego, and yes, your identity. You must, in fact, stand in front of the public and God and obliterate yourself.”
“I’ve never met anyone like Lydia Tár,” Shannon Shaker told Revue. Shaker earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting and has taught music in Colorado and Michigan. She founded the Woman’s Band Composition Contest to provide support and encouragement for women composers of wind band. She serves as Assistant Professor, Director of Bands at Grand Rapids Community College. She’s had plenty of opportunity to meet musicians, in other words. None of them have demanded self-obliteration.
As if she weren’t busy enough, Shaker co-founded Beer City Winds in 2022 and remains its artistic director (Rick Maycroft, administrative director, was the other founder). Rather than demand her musicians do nothing but submit, she encourages their ideas, allowing them the opportunity to shape the organization. The result is a collaborative group in which individual voices are nurtured rather than suppressed.
“You’ll hear people say, ‘I played under this person,’” Shaker said. “No one plays under me.” (You wouldn’t hear this from Lydia Tár).
Beer City Winds arose from an observation Maycroft made: West Michigan has any number of music educators who, during the school year, don’t have much opportunity to play themselves, but who do have that opportunity in the summer. By partnering, Maycroft and Shaker built an organization that leans into that fact. Rehearsals begin in late May and run through mid-July. There are two concerts annually, one in June, the other in July.
Here’s the audition process: There isn’t one. “A lot of people don’t want to audition,” she said. “They’re not comfortable with it. If I had to audition myself, I wouldn’t do it. This allows us to get past that.”
Applicants must be 18 or older, and should be active, performing musicians with six years of playing experience under their belts. They must have their own instruments, or access to instruments. Finally, it’s crucial that they can commit to the rehearsal schedule. Instrumental balance comes into play—10 tubas is probably too many. While Shaker would like to take as many musicians as possible, selections must at times be made.
Today, there are 70 musicians, which is the upper limit the stage can easily accommodate. Beer City Winds performs at St. Cecilia Music Center, the well-respected venue for chamber music, folk music, and jazz. The organization sits under the umbrella of St. Cecilia’s music education efforts.
In determining what music to play, Shaker tries to achieve balances—between old and new music, for instance. Several members of the group are composers themselves. But she also seeks balance in terms of difficulty. One to two pieces will be difficult. But a middle school music teacher might appreciate a less difficult piece, especially if it’s one she hasn’t played before; that way, she might find something to take back to her students. Then again, she might appreciate the opportunity to stretch her wings. Ultimately, Shaker’s north star is diversity, whether it be diversity of composition dates, difficulty, or gender or ethnicity of the composer.
She most values the spirit of community and camaraderie the musicians have helped to create. The music they create is serious, and seriously good, but the rehearsals themselves are light-hearted, reflective of a desire to create great music without obliterating anyone in the process
Beer City Winds
St. Cecilia Music Center
July 18, 7:30 p.m.
scmcgr.org
