We aim to make music education accessible to all families in our community.

Founded in 1998, the Purple Silk Music Education Foundation (PSMEF) was established to support the Great Wall Youth Orchestra & Chorus, a Chinese music ensemble in Oakland founded by Sherlyn Chew. The program began with a collection of traditional Chinese instruments passed down from her former music teacher, sparking a grassroots effort to provide Chinese music education to underserved students in the Oakland community. Since then, PSMEF has proudly provided over 700 students each year with high-quality Chinese music education, opportunities for cultural exchange, and memorable performance experiences — from local community events to national stages.

In the summer of 2025, PSMEF began an exciting new chapter. The Great Wall Youth Orchestra transitioned into its own independent performance group, and its place, we launched the Purple Silk Youth Orchestra — an inclusive, community-based ensemble open to all individuals, regardless of their background or prior experience in Chinese music. This evolution reflects our ongoing commitment to serving the community’s changing needs and making Chinese music education accessible and welcoming to everyone.

PSMEF has also strengthened its partnership with the Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center in Oakland Chinatown, where we offer weekly Chinese music classes on Sundays. With active programs in-school and after-school sites across Oakland and San Francisco, we continue to grow and build bridges across our community. We perform regularly at events such as the Piedmont Food Fest, San Francisco Chinese New Year parade, Lunar New Year celebrations throughout the Bay Area, Oakland StreetFest, Lincoln Summer Nights, and more. In 2024, we proudly helped establish Laney College’s Chinese music course’s first music exchange program with Shijiazhuang University, further expanding educational opportunities for all students.

We are grateful for the ongoing support of our community as we continue to nurture and preserve traditional Chinese music for generations to come.