717 Millennium - Seventeenth Edition SOCIAL SERVICES AND NONPROFIT International (MCI), has since gone on to conduct its programs throughout Romania and Ukraine, delivering dignity, hope and selfconfidence to thousands of young individuals through the healing power of music. Working alongside local ministries, MCI has extended its life-changing programs to include orphans and youth struggling with disabilities. MCI is a registered charity in the United States, Poland, Ukraine and Romania. Ms. Fortunato is the only non-Ukrainian to receive the title of Honorary Ambassador of Peace for Ukraine, as proclaimed by Petro Poroshenko in 2014. In 2022, Ms. Fortunato launched a second division, Musedics, an after-school ensemble template that includes both virtual and on-location possibilities each semester. This extended her reach to India and Kenya. Ms. Fortunato previously studied music and literature at Wheaton College. During her years as a piano teacher, she developed and published music curricula for preschoolers to adult learners. Her adult curriculum won her a Gold Medallion award in 1985. She has also served as an adjunct professor, consulted for various clients across the U.S., and conducted choral festivals throughout her career. Ms. Fortunato credits her success to her outside-the-box thinking and her ability to learn from failure. She also maintains her powerful motivation to change the lives of children, working tirelessly to unlock the inner music that comes forth when engaged in a positive and dynamic environment. Beginning in late 2024, Ms. Fortunato will collaborate with the Ukrainian government in Povir to promote social and emotional wellness through music, working to overcome gaps and losses in education caused by the war. Her devotion to transforming youth, communities and countries through music defines her course around the world. Driven by a passion for transforming children and youth, Constance R. Fortunato leverages more than four decades of teaching and conducting experience in her role as president of Canticum Novum International. Founded in 2002 to bring social transformation through music to children in Eastern Europe, the nonprofit organization’s signature division, Music Camp CONSTANCE R. FORTUNATO FOUNDER, PRESIDENT Music Camp International Santa Cruz, CA
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