Margaret Leng Tan, born on December 12, 1945, in Singapore, is a classical pianist known for her innovative use of unconventional instruments. She began taking music lessons at age six and won the Singapore-Malaysia annual piano competition in 1961, earning a scholarship to study at The Juilliard School. In 1971, she became the first woman to earn a Doctorate in Musical Arts from Juilliard. In 1981, Tan met John Cage, with whom she collaborated for over a decade. She was awarded a US National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1984 and performed Cage’s music extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia. In 2002, Tan made history as the first Singapore-born musician to play at Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium.
