KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - She’s got the guitar. She’s got the voice. She’s even got the dress.
But even though Courtney Pitzer is a dead-ringer for Elsa from the hit animated film “Frozen,” it can be daunting at times to pull all of the aspects of the act off in front of a young audience.
The Western High School junior has donned the attire of Elsa several times since the 2013 movie’s release to perform in front of children of all ages.
Pitzer recalls children approaching her after a performance to ask if she could use her special powers to manipulate snow and ice - a request she was lucky enough to have an answer to.
“I just tell them I used my powers on all of this,” she tells the Kokomo Tribune (https://bit.ly/1F8nBAa ), pointing out the window to a landscape of snow.
Pitzer’s budding career as a songstress dates from third grade, when she was urged by her friend to perform a duet to the song “Breaking Free” from the movie “High School Musical.” She picked up the guitar in fifth grade, and the rest is history.
“I always loved to sing,” she said. “One of my friends asked if I would be in a talent show with her. I was really nervous at first, but I really loved it, so that was how it started.”
She hasn’t slowed down since, continuing to perform at various local talent shows, First Friday events and the Howard County Fair. The exposure to an audience has allowed Pitzer to become a seasoned performer as a member of the varsity and jazz choirs at Western, while studying under the tutelage of Gary Rhum of the Rhum Academy of Music.
Audiences have not only enjoyed her vocal and guitar skills, but the resemblance she shares with an animated character that has captured the hearts of so many children.
Performing songs from “Frozen” is often the easiest part of being Elsa, Pitzer acknowledges. Because children often can’t decipher whether she is the Disney character or a high school student, conversations after performances often turn to what it’s like to be a princess.
“Some of the questions (children) ask me are kind of hard to answer,” she said, laughing. “They’ll ask ’How old are you?’ and ’What was your favorite scene in the film?’
“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “It makes me feel like I’m famous, or something.”
On Thursday, Pitzer performed at Western Intermediate School, joined by her brother, Justin, who accompanied her on a number of duets. As the duo set up for their performance, it immediately began to catch the attention of children on their way to lunch, as they whispering to each other, “Is that her?”
Third-grader Anabelle Moore, a self-professed “Frozen” fanatic, was very impressed looking on from the first row as the Pitzer siblings performed songs like “Let it Go,” ’’Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Love is an Open Door.”
Not a bad endorsement from someone who has seen the movie “thousands of times.”
“It was awesome,” Moore said of Pitzer’s performance. “She looks just like Elsa.”
Those reactions are priceless to Pitzer’s mother, Amy, who has helped facilitate and set up performances for her daughter at Western, the Kokomo Soccer Club and a number of day care centers and nursing homes.
“Anybody can dress up, but she sounds like her,” Amy said. “When they hear her sing they just think, ’it has to be her.’”
The performances have been a hit with all ages, however, including Pitzer’s grandmother, Colleen Rich, who beams with pride every time she talks about their musical endeavors.
With two musically gifted grandchildren, Rich said she catches performances “every chance I get.”
“She’s amazing . he’s amazing too,” she said, making sure to give equal credit to both of her grandchildren. “They’re all amazing, but I’m kind of partial.”
Pitzer hopes to continue her musical pursuits for a long time, with plans to become a music therapist, focusing on working with children.
For now, though, she’s content living the split life of a high school snow queen.
“(My friends) think it’s cool,” she said. “They call me ’Princess’ all the time now, it’s kind of a nickname. It’s pretty funny.”
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Information from: Kokomo Tribune, https://www.ktonline.com
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