BHS senior not playing second fiddle

By JACOB DORAN / Bigfork Eagle

When it comes to talent, Bigfork High Sschool senior Kendra Brook has enough to go around.

By age five, Brook had already taken up the violin, which was younger than her siblings were when their mother had them take violin lessons. Unlike her siblings, she stuck with it, attending a Suzuki camp at age seven to learn classical violin, as well as the Montana State Fiddle Camp for nine years to hone her skill and become a more versatile musician.

Over the past 13 years, she has competed against other violinists in numerous competitions, in Wyoming, Idaho, Washington and Montana. However, you won't hear her talk about the competitions she has won or brag about her ability. Like most truly talented musicians, it is easier for her to see where she still needs to improve than to rest upon the laurels of past achievements or other people's praise.

However, those who have been privileged to hear her perform in the Bigfork Playhouse Children's Theater Christmas concert or Cowabunga! variety show have likely marveled that someone so young could produce arrangements as pure and professional-sounding as Brook's lively fiddle playing. Not surprisingly, she placed first in the nationally certified Montana State Fair Old Time Fiddle contest.

Brook actually chose to play fiddle over the violin. In case you're wondering what the difference is between the two, the difference is mainly style, since the instrument itself is essentially the same. Some fiddlers prefer a slightly flatter bridge, which allows them greater ease when playing a double stop, because fiddlers traditionally play more than one string at a time.

Since Brook and her family enjoy playing bluegrass music, fiddle holds a strong appeal for her, permitting her greater versatility and the freedom to be creative in her arrangements. Recently, she has even begun creating and writing her own arrangements, some of which she has recorded on a CD.

She plans to attend college next year, with her major in Music and Theater. As a result, she hopes to learn more classical violin, play with other musicians and provide backup for both instruments and voices, as well as accompaniment for dances.

Her love for music was inevitable, since she grew up in a house that was cluttered with instruments. Music was as much a part of her home as the furniture and the fun of having three siblings. Her father plays the guitar, as does her sister, Brittany, 19. Her mother plays both the piano and base, and her oldest sister, Kailee, 23, also plays the base. Her younger brother, Taylor, 15, prefers to hunt.

However, music is not her only aspiration. Since coming to Bigfork, four years ago, Brook has been involved with the Bigfork Playhouse Children's Theatre. When she started out, her older sister Brittany tried out for the plays with her and usually got cast in the lead roles. Since she and Brittany have always been competitive in grades and sports, Kendra was determined not to be outdone.

Over time, she fell in love with the theater, which has grown into a passion that rivals even her love for the fiddle.

"I grew up with the fiddle, and it has always been a part of my life, but theater is definitely where I want to be.

"We're so lucky to be able to do so much, here. We didn't have a theater in Judith Gap, where I grew up. Here, we have the arts, and there are so many things that young people have exposure to. People don't realize how lucky we are to have the Playhouse."

Her favorite part of the theater is performing humorous roles and honing her improv skills—something that she also practices with her sister. Her latest part, that of the queen in "Once Upon A Mattress," was the first villainess role that she has ever played and also one of her very favorites, since it was both a humorous role and one that gave her the opportunity to do some improv.

"The queen was a really fun part, because that part is so bossy," Kendra said. "She thinks that she is in control of the world. When something goes wrong, she really gets to control the scene."

While enjoying the comedy aspect of theater, Kendra says she does not feel nearly as comfortable with more serious roles.

"I love to make people laugh," she said. "I think that's one of the ways that I want to contribute to society, by making people laugh. I want to make people get up and live and do stuff. That's what I'm good it."

Incidentally, one of the things she most enjoys about working with Director Brach Thomson is that he teaches young actors and actresses how to have fun and laugh.

"Brach is an amazing teacher," she said. "He's absolutely hilarious. He relates well to the kids ad he's a lot of fun to work with. I have learned so much from his professionalism and how he directs. Ultimately, I want to do exactly what Brach does. I really want to direct children's theater."