Our History and experience

For more than 25 years, the Great Wall Youth Orchestra at Laney Community College was funded and guided by the Purple Silk Music Education Foundation (PSMEF). Through this long-standing partnership, PSMEF built a youth music program offering beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of instruction.

The orchestra became a central part of our educational mission and a musical home for generations of young musicians and families.

Strengthening and growing the program

In the years following the pandemic, PSMEF stepped in to provide expanded funding, leadership, and organizational support to restore and grow the orchestra. Through these efforts, students had the opportunity to:

• Travel to Beijing and Hebei Province for the orchestra’s first international tour

• Begin cultural exchange efforts between Laney College and Shijiazhuang University

• Win the 2023 Music in the Parks Festival

• Perform in the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade

• Build a consistent public performance presence throughout the Bay Area, growing from a period of limited public appearances to multiple annual performances

Through these efforts, PSMEF created more opportunities for students to perform and grow than ever before, and we are grateful to the students, instructors, families, and community partners who helped make this work possible. After years of direct leadership and investment, PSMEF has now moved forward with its own independent initiative.

With decades of experience building youth orchestra programs, we are proud to continue this mission through the Purple Silk Music Academy at the Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center in Oakland Chinatown — a student-centered, inclusive, and community-focused program designed to provide young musicians with meaningful opportunities to grow, perform, and thrive.