Synopsis:

A work that sweeps across the senses, Dragon Ladies Don't Weep is a sonic portrait of new music icon Margaret Leng Tan—an evocative exploration of memory, time, control and loss.

New York-based Singaporean pianist Tan forged a path as a major force within the American avant-garde, serving as muse to giants such as John Cage and George Crumb, and transforming the toy piano into a serious instrument. Her stellar career is a touchstone for the past 40 years of experimental musical innovation.

Dragon Ladies Don't Weep combines spoken and recorded text, projected images and original music for prepared piano, toy piano, toys and percussion by Tan's long-term collaborator Erik Griswold.

Created by a team of Singaporean and Australian artists led by Chamber Made director Tamara Saulwick and performed by Tan, this cross-cultural collaboration is a riveting collage of the forces that have shaped Tan's life and how music has been both her passion and her refuge.

Supported in Australia by the Department of Communication and the Arts; the Australia Council for the Arts; Creative Victoria; The SUBSTATION, Playking Foundation, Asia TOPA, The Robert Salzer Foundation; and in Singapore by the National Arts Council and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

A co-production by Chamber Made and CultureLink Singapore, co-commissioned by Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and Asia TOPA.

Creative Team
Musician/Performer: Margaret Leng Tan
Composer:  Erik Griswold
Director: Tamara Saulwick
Dramaturg: Kok Heng Leun
Video Artist: Nick Roux
Lighting Designer: Andy Lim
Costume Designer: Yuan Zhiying