Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep

Margaret Leng Tan’s sonic autobiographical portrait
For one night only, Chamber Made presents the world premiere of Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep as part of The SUBSTATION Asia TOPA program at Arts Centre Melbourne.

A work that sweeps across the senses, Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep is a sonic portrait of new music icon Margaret Leng Tan and an evocative exploration of memory, time, control and loss.
Led by Chamber Made and created with Tan’s long-term collaborator, the renowned Brisbane-based composer Erik Griswold and Chamber Made Artistic Director Tamara Saulwick, Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep combines spoken and recorded text, projected images and original music for prepared piano, toy piano, toys and percussion.
New York-based Singaporean Tan forged a path as a major force within the American avant-garde, serving as muse for such giants as John Cage and George Crumb. She is the world’s first concert toy pianist and her stellar career is a touchstone for the past 40 years of experimental music innovation.

Saulwick explained that this collaboration unites music and performance in one conversation, “Margaret was eager to make something unlike anything she had done before. We wanted to create a performance that would highlight how music has been a continuous thread throughout her life – but framing it in a context that extends beyond this art form alone.”
A retrospective collage created by an international team of Singaporean and Australian artists, Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep is an extraordinary cross-cultural collaboration where Chamber Made has united with remarkable artists that not only include Tan and Griswold, but also video designer Nick Roux, dramaturg Kok Heng Leun, lighting designer Andy Lim and trailblazing Singaporean costume designer Yuan Zhiying.
“It’s a privilege to work with such high calibre artists. Margaret is a powerhouse performer – at 74, she continues to be luminescent. She has such a deep knowledge of American 20th and 21st century new music, having worked with established icons as well as the present generation of composers,” said Saulwick.

Tan reflected that this will be her first fully-fledged foray into the realm of theatre (she usually performs in concert), “I mostly work autonomously and rarely perform with other musicians, though I have collaborated with dancers. Now I find myself working with a whole team of amazingly creative people.”
“John Cage used to say that I am a very good actress. At the time I never really understood what he meant, but John was always prescient. And now, 30 years later, I am fulfilling his expectation,” said Tan.

“This new work is deeply personal and painfully honest to the point of rawness. I hope that revealing my ever-present struggle with OCD can be testimony that one can still be creative despite obstacles. It’s a no-holds-barred glimpse into who I am, foibles and all,” Tan explained.
Prior to Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep there will be a 25 minute screening and performance of a new work by Japanese filmmaker Makino Takashi and Australian composer Lawrence English.
Following the world premiere at Asia TOPA, Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep will be presented at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in Singapore in March 2020.