SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Railroad Museum and Foundation are proud to announce a special event titled “Moving Together in Harmony – A Purple Silk Concert” that includes musical performances by the Great Wall Youth Orchestra on Saturday, April 29, 2023. The performances will showcase music from different cultures played on traditional Chinese instruments. Plus, a post-performance documentary titled Son of the Railroad will highlight the Honorable Judge Michael Kwan's behind-the-scenes stories of the 150th celebration of the Golden Spike. It depicts how Judge Kwan takes on multiple roles as a descendant of the Chinese railroad workers, the first Chinese American judge in the history of Utah, and an outstanding community leader, to tirelessly put the Chinese railroad workers on the map of U.S. history. The “Moving Together in Harmony – A Purple Silk Concert” special event and documentary presentation will take place inside the Railroad Museum’s East Theater starting at 2 p.m.
The Great Wall Youth Orchestra plays Chinese musical instruments and performs a variety of music. Many of the students are recent immigrants or first-generation Americans, and the orchestra offers a special connection between their origins and heritage and their life in the United States. This performance is a fundraiser for the Purple Silk Music Education Foundation (PSMEF), a nonprofit that supports music education for inner-city youth. Founded by Sherlyn Chew, the purpose of PSMEF is to teach Chinese music to K-12 students in Oakland.
Tickets to “Moving Together in Harmony – A Purple Silk Concert” include admission to the California State Railroad Museum and attendees are encouraged to explore the Museum’s Chinese Railroad Workers’ Experience that offers insight into the Chinese workers who built the western portion of the nation’s first Transcontinental Railroad. To complete the rail-related experience, event participants are encouraged to take an excursion train ride along the Sacramento Southern Railroad. Offering the region’s only historic and authentic train ride experience, weekend excursion train rides depart at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. each weekend day (train rides are not included with event tickets).
Tickets to “Moving Together in Harmony – A Purple Silk Concert” cost $35 for adults, $25 for youth (ages 6 to 17), are free for children five and under and are available here. Weekend excursion train tickets cost $15 for adults, $8 for youths (ages 6-17), and ages five and under ride free, and are available here. For more information about the California State Railroad Museum and Foundation, please visit www.californiarailroad.museum.
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About the California State Railroad Museum Foundation
The mission of the California State Railroad Museum Foundation (CSRMF) is to generate revenue and awareness on behalf of its destinations, while supporting the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of our railroad heritage. The Foundation provides funding for ongoing support of numerous programs, both at the museum's Old Sacramento location and at the historic park in Jamestown, Calif. For more information, please visit www.californiarailroad.museum.