Elena Mitrano
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Elena Mitrano

Band Pop Singer/Songwriter

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"Elena Mitrano keeps a song in her heart"

Elena Mitrano closes her blue-shaded eyes and sings.

In the audience, her mother smiles proudly as she sways along to the soft ballad. The words are heavy with meaning and memories for them both.

"For unheard anguish and for uneased pain," sings Mitrano, to an audience at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood. "This is for the voiceless."

After a childhood of suffering and silence, Mitrano struggled for more than 20 years to find her voice. Now, at 26, she uses it to speak for those who can't and to continue her own emotional recovery.

"I finally get a chance to do something for people who aren't as lucky as I am and who don't get to speak up for themselves," Mitrano said. "That's a huge honor."

For Mitrano, music has become one of her tools for healing.

"Healing is a process. It doesn't happen overnight," she said. "I definitely had some very dark days when I was a teenager, and I think that's when things tend to catch up with people. You get caught between that place where you're no longer a child and you're not really an adult yet.

"It was a very dark time," she said. "I've been lucky to have my mother really advocate getting me mental help. I don't mean like psychiatric drugs - I've never had anything like that - but just having a therapist. I've had a therapist my whole life, and it's been really important for me just to have someone to talk to, and it's helped me get through those times."

Mitrano's debut album, "Rescue Me," was released in June and features a mix of upbeat dance tunes and soulful ballads. It allows her to face the tragedies of her past and celebrate the promise of the future.

But, most of all, Mitrano wants her music to offer solace for those in dark times.

"No 5-year-old should have to be terrified of one parent, and then lose the other one," Mitrano said. "But I was very fortunate, and I'm stronger for it. There are children who aren't as lucky as I had been, and I wanted to do something for them."

In 1987, Mitrano (born Hilary Foretich) was at the center of a media frenzy. Her mother, Elizabeth Morgan, claimed during a tough custody battle that 5-year-old Hilary was being sexually abused by her father, Eric Foretich. But Hilary was deemed too young to testify in court and the allegations were dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Rather than force Hilary to participate in unsupervised visits with her father, Morgan denied visitation rights and instead secretly sent her daughter to live with her grandparents in New Zealand.

Refusing to reveal her daughter's whereabouts, Morgan was held in contempt of court and spent two years behind bars.

According to Mitrano, her mother spent more than $1 million fighting the original custody battle.

"She gave up everything, always believed me, never questioned me, and fought for me tooth and nail for years," said Mitrano, who changed her name when she was 7 and now lives with her mother in Beverly Hills. "I mean, that's dedication. I think her belief in me is what helped me believe in myself."

It has taken a long time to deal with the memories that Mitrano says have plagued her. Her regular therapy and a close relationship with her mother helped to maintain stability, but Mitrano still searched for an outlet.

"During my late teenage years, I was feeling very, very lost, and I started doing drugs," Mitrano said. "One morning, after having been up all night, I became very afraid for my life. I thought that my body was just going to give out on me."

In desperation, Mitrano looked to a higher power for help.

"I made a deal with God," Mitrano said. "I said, `If you give me back my life, I promise never to do these things again.' And I never did."

Mitrano hasn't seen her father since he attended a court hearing on her 18th birthday. She remembers screaming, "Get away from me!" when he tried to sit next to her, but that moment made her realize she no longer had to be afraid.

"I was expecting this big, huge, scary guy to walk into the room," Mitrano said. "But he wasn't. He was a tiny, shriveled old man."

Her memories of him had loomed like shadows on a child's bedroom wall - amplified by the fear she remembers from being a young child.

"I was living in a hell that no child should ever have to live in," Mitrano said. "It was inescapable. Either I was going to be saved or going to be completely destroyed. And I wasn't destroyed. I survived, and I think that it made me really strong."

Determined to use her life experiences to help others, Mitrano began a career in journalism and started doing charity work with her local church. But maintaining emotional distance was difficult and she quickly learned to shy away from stories that hit too close to home.

"For awhile, I was working with teenagers coming from highly abusive homes," Mitrano said. "It was too much. Every time I saw them, I was walking away feeling completely destroyed, and it wasn't good for them."

For Mitrano, singing has become an ideal way to merge talent with compassion. Every song is a prayer for the voiceless.

"Not only do I get to sing, but I get to tell stories and to express myself," Mitrano said. "I also have the liberty of taking sides and standing up for what I believe to be important and right."

Emily Henry (310) 540-5511, Ext. 380; emily.henry@dailybreeze.com ---------

ELENA MITRANO

For more information about the Beverly Hills-based vocalist, go to www.elenamitrano.com. - Daily News 10/27/2008


"Hillary Fortreich Tells Her Tail - little girl smuggled to Christchurch is now a singer"

Hilary Foretich, the little American girl brought to Christchurch two decades ago to grow up in hiding, is now a professional singer in Hollywood using her talent to speak for child victims of abuse.

Foretich - now known as Elena Mitrano - was smuggled to New Zealand by her grandmother after her mother, Elizabeth Morgan, claimed during a tough custody battle that Hilary, 5, was being sexually abused by her father, oral surgeon Eric Foretich.

Dr Morgan, a plastic surgeon, spent more the $US1 million fighting the original custody order, but Hilary was deemed too young to testify in court and the allegations were dismissed.

Hilary's mother refused to force her to participate in unsupervised visits with her father, and was jailed in August 1987 for contempt.

But her daughter was already on the run with her grandparents, retired psychologists William and Antonia Morgan.

They took the child on a 2-1/2 year-journey, eventually settling in Christchurch.

During this time, Dr Morgan spent 26 months behind bars, then secretly moved to NZ to live in hiding with her daughter.

When the child's location was discovered and became news around the globe, a New Zealand court gave Dr Morgan sole custody, but the case was complicated by rulings from US courts.

Dr Morgan and Hilary returned to Washington in 1997 to be with the doctor's mother, but only after the US Congress passed the Elizabeth Morgan Act in 1996, allowing the girl to decide whether to see her father.

"She gave up everything, always believed me, never questioned me, and fought for me tooth and nail for years,'' Mitrano told the Daily Breeze, a Los Angeles newspaper.

"I was living in a hell that no child should ever have to live in,'' Mitrano said.

"It was inescapable. Either I was going to be saved or going to be completely destroyed. I survived, and I think that it made me really strong.''

She still lives with her mother in Beverly Hills, but said that life after her return from New Zealand was hard.

"During my late teenage years, I was feeling very, very lost, and I started doing drugs.

"I definitely had some very dark days when I was a teenager.''

She struggled for more than 20 years to find her voice, but now at 26, uses it to speak for those who can't.

Her debut album, Rescue Me, was released in June and features a mix of upbeat dance tunes and soulful ballads.

"No five-year-old should have to be terrified of one parent, and then lose the other one,'' Mitrano said.

"But I was very fortunate, and I'm stronger for it. There are children who aren't as lucky as I had been, and I wanted to do something for them.''

Mitrano hasn't seen her father since he attended a court hearing on her 18th birthday.

She remembers screaming: ``Get away from me!'' when he tried to sit next to her, but that moment made her realise she no longer had to be afraid.

"I was expecting this big, huge, scary guy to walk into the room. But he wasn't. He was a tiny, shrivelled old man.'' - Press.co.nz news 10/28/08


"Custody Row Girl Fights For Victims"

Hilary Foretich, the American child, brought to Christchurch two decades ago to grow up in hiding, is now a professional singer in Hollywood using her talents to speak for child victims of abuse. Foretich - now known as Elena Mitrano - was smuggled to New Zealand by her grandmother after her mother, Elizabeth Morgan, claimed during a tough custody battle that Hilary, 5, was being sexually abused by her father, oral surgeon Eric Foretich. - USA Today 10/29/2008


"Custody Row Girl Fights for Victims"

Hilary Foretich, the American child, brought to Christchurch two decades ago to grow up in hiding, is now a professional singer in Hollywood using her talents to speak for child victims of abuse.

Foretich - now known as Elena Mitrano - was smuggled to New Zealand by her grandmother after her mother, Elizabeth Morgan, claimed during a tough custody battle that Hilary, 5, was being sexually abused by her father, oral surgeon Eric Foretich.

Dr Morgan, a plastic surgeon, spent more the US$1 million ($1.8 million) fighting the original custody order, but Hilary was deemed too young to testify in court and the allegations were dismissed.

Hilary's mother refused to force her to participate in unsupervised visits with her father, and was jailed in August 1987 for contempt.

But her daughter was already on the run with her grandparents, retired psychologists William and Antonia Morgan.

They took the child on a 2 1/2 year journey, eventually settling in Christchurch.

During this time, Dr Morgan spent 26 months behind bars, then secretly moved to New Zealand to live in hiding with her daughter.

When the child's location was discovered and became news around the globe, a New Zealand court gave Dr Morgan sole custody, but the case was complicated by rulings from US courts.

Dr Morgan and Hilary returned to Washington in 1997 to be with the doctor's mother, but only after the US Congress passed the Elizabeth Morgan Act in 1996, allowing the girl to decide whether to see her father.

"She gave up everything, always believed me, never questioned me, and fought for me tooth and nail for years," Mitrano told the Daily Breeze, a Los Angeles newspaper.

"I was living in a hell that no child should ever have to live in," Mitrano said. "It was inescapable. Either I was going to be saved or going to be completely destroyed. I survived, and I think that it made me really strong."

She still lives with her mother in Beverly Hills, but said that life after her return from New Zealand was hard.

"During my late teenage years, I was feeling very, very lost, and I started doing drugs. I definitely had some very dark days when I was a teenager."

She struggled for more than 20 years to find her voice, but now at 26, uses it to speak for those who can't.

Her debut album, Rescue Me, was released in June and features a mix of upbeat dance tunes and soulful ballads.

"No 5-year-old should have to be terrified of one parent, and then lose the other one," Mitrano said. "But I was very fortunate, and I'm stronger for it. There are children who aren't as lucky as I had been, and I wanted to do something for them."

Mitrano hasn't seen her father since a court hearing on her 18th birthday.

She remembers screaming: "Get away from me!" when he tried to sit next to her, but that moment made her realise she no longer had to be afraid.

"I was expecting this big, huge, scary guy to walk into the room. But he wasn't. He was a tiny, shrivelled old man." - New Zealand Herald 10/29/08


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

Elena Mitrano, formerly Hilary Foretich was one of the most famous faces in the world by the age of five. Her story was known the world over. She was the little American girl who ran away from her abusive father and went to New Zealand with her grandparents. Her mother, Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, was in jail for almost three years for protecting her. This was the “largest custody battle in history,’ (ABC News).

Her frightened eyes graced the covers of every major newspaper in the western world, her face was splashed on the pages of magazines including Vanity Fair and People and her sad smile was broadcast on every television set in every home. The story of her life was made into multiple movies such as, “The Elizabeth Morgan Story,” and “Elena in Exile.” That was the late 1980’s and 90’s.

Elena is grown-up now and is channeling her bizarre life experiences into music. She has a new album, recently released digitally called Rescue Me. This album is a hit in clubs all over New York City. Elena is doing interviews almost weekly with the international media. 60 Minutes New Zealand is flying to Beverly Hills next week to interview her about her music and her life.

She has used every ounce of her talent to help those who are in pain. She recently shot a PSA with Christina Ricci about child abuse. It will air nationally in 2009 with over 3500 hours of air-time. She is a vocal advocate for abused children. Her single “Voiceless” speaks directly to those who are in pain. She has been approached by several charities to speak on their behalf.

In 2009 Elena will be touring with the Macy’s Rock Your Fashion Campaign. She will be a part of an enormous media buy-in worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. This will once again introduce Elena’s face to the world as she will be featured on
MTV, VH1 and so many other stations and publications it would take up too much space to write them all down.

Please contact us as we are anxious to make Elena’s album available in stores before the buy-in begins.