Lien Hua‐Feng is a former member of the Langley Ukulele Ensemble (1995 to 1999) who currently lives and works as a Nurse Practitioner in Los Angeles, California. She reconnected with the group when they performed at the Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival in 2024 and sat down with Peter Luongo and a videographer to share how being a member of the group impacted her life.

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She arrived in Langley, BC in 1991, by way of a Malaysian refugee camp, after her parents and six siblings escaped Vietnam by boat (3 years earlier). Her parents worked on a farm when they arrived in Langley. When her family settled in Langley, they were dependent on Food Banks for meals and all members of the family had to work on various farms to support their basic needs.  While she attended public school during weekdays, farm chores and homework kept her extremely busy, with little time to spare for the balance of the week.

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One school day, she attended a performance by the Langley Ukulele Ensemble. She was awestruck and amazed by the show, and immediately wanted to become a member of the group.  Her parents, however, were not supportive of her ambition, as their financial hardships and busy schedules had no room for leisure. 

They were not supportive of Lien joining any music program, within or outside of school, so her efforts to join came with much resistance. Lien, however, was persistent and while her experience with her parents was not pleasant, she practiced with determination and consistency and managed to be selected to be part of the performing ensemble.

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Lien states that the feeling of accomplishment was indescribable at the time. She took pride in overcoming her parents' abject resistance in her efforts in becoming a member of such an accomplished group of ukulele performing students. 

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Lien claims that being a member of the ensemble had other major impacts in her life. It provided her a safety net during her high school years. She believes that music was therapeutic and being part of the ensemble provided her comfort away from a stressful home environment. It taught her what it was like to work together as an ensemble and a team player striving for excellence through performances locally and internationally. It taught her the importance of community and gave her comfort in knowing that other members within the community were willing to help her during difficult times as evidenced by other members’ parents who often picked and dropped her off for practices and weekend performances when her parents were not available. The group also enlightened her with various opportunities including fundraising activities, and traveling around the local communities and abroad for festivals, and through these experiences, she made life‐long friendships.

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Lien credits the Langley Ukulele Association with providing students like her (who come from different walks of life) a great place to practice and perform music, and to learn the importance of teamwork while striving for life excellence through music. She states that these values learned at such a young age could not have been taught at home, and being in the Senior A Ensemble during her early high school years prepared her for a higher education and who she has become today.

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Enjoy the video below!