West Kowloon Cultural District The Box, Freespace WestK｜WestK Solo Fest: Margaret Leng Tan – Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep

Description

A sonic portrait of new music icon Margaret Leng Tan — an evocative exploration of memory, time, control and loss
Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep is a magical collage of the forces that have shaped the life of pianist Margaret Leng Tan and a poignant reflection on how music has been both her passion and her refuge.

The New York-based Singaporean artist 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.

Performed by Tan, 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.

The cross-cultural collaboration is created by a team of Singaporean and Australian artists, including director Tamara Saulwick, video designer Nick Roux and dramaturg Kok Heng Leun.

Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep made its world premiere at Arts Centre Melbourne as part of the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts (Asia TOPA) in 2020 and has toured internationally to wide acclaim. The production won the 2021 Australian Art Music Award for Work of the Year (Dramatic category).

* Post-performance talk on 14 January 2026 (Wednesday).