“La Réjouissance” Youth Orchestra was created in 1997 by a group of parents who wanted to enable their children to play music together in a friendly atmosphere. Elisabetta Maschio has been conducting the orchestra since 2001. Under her guidance the orchestra has become a place of friendship, of education, of training, of sharing values and responsibilities among older and younger players. The orchestra is like a little community where rules are respected, where learning skills are improved and developped, where kids feel self-confident and are therefore willing to accept the challenge of the stage.

The complete Orchestra is composed of about 60 boys and girls aged between 8 and 18, who play all instruments. The young players are followed by capable musicians and have diverse musical experiences: they are attending different academies of music (Castelfranco Veneto, Udine, Verona, Vicenza, Mantova, Ferrara) or music schools or they are studying with private teachers.

The orchestra has an agreement protocol with the Academy of Music  “A. Steffani” in Castelfranco Veneto  and has obtained the seat at the famous  theatre “E. Duse” in Asolo. It has held concerts all over Italy: in Spello, Treviso (Palazzo dei Trecento e Teatro Comunale),  Rovigo (Teatro Sociale), Rome, Reggio Emilia, Mantova and Venezia (Teatro Goldoni),Firenze (Teatro della Pergola and Teatro “G.Verdi”).

It has taken part in international music festivals and it has been invited by several Italian music institutions.

It is co-ordinated, directed and conducted by Elisabetta Maschio who has recently been awarded the ‘Golden Lion’ of Regione Veneto for her cultural activities and two Silver Medals (2005 e 2006) of the

President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi for having organized the International Music Festival for the Youth ”Gioie Musicali” in Asolo. Moreover the Orchestra has been the official Italian testimonial of Unicef since 2005.       
In January 2006 the Orchestra went on its first tour of Italy.

The name of the Orchestra “La Réjouissance”, “Rejoicing” was chosen by the young players. The Orchestra ecompasses a lot of symbols:

it is a symbol of democracy, because the older kids help the younger ones, and everybody co-operates to the final success by giving its best;

it is a symbol of discipline, as who plays an instrument knows what sacrifice is, however the young players’ efforts are soon rewarded;

it is a symbol of tolerance, no child is a child prodigy,yet normality brings about prodigy, because it combines talent with respect for the others;

it is a symbol of friendship, because studying is alternated with rest and kids can spend time together chatting and enjoying themselves;

it is a symbol of hope, as we really hope that embracing art and music as forms of knowledge and coscience, the new generations will grow strong and serene.