Margaret Leng Tan

Singapore

Whether playing the tin can, the jack-in-the-box in or the toy hammer and rattle, Leng Tan fulfills her mentor John Cage’s philosophy that you can make music with just about anything. She will perform Clangor!, a diminutive music-theatre experience of nostalgia and humour performed exclusively on all manner of toy instruments. From toy pianos and bicycle bells to a hand-cranked music box, Margaret Leng Tan treats them as “real” instruments in keeping with the French artist Marcel Duchamp’s statement, “poor tools require better skills." Since moving to New York, Leng Tan has become a major force within the American avant-garde, as well as being the first woman to earn a doctorate from Julliard. "The queen of the toy piano" - New York Times

If you would like to read about Margaret Leng Tan's WOMADelaide program, visit the supporting performance notes. 

Supported by the National Arts Council, Singapore