BECOMING MARGARET LENG TAN

A Singaporean American musician with obsessive-compulsive disorder became the world’s first toy piano virtuoso.

Margaret’s OCD “never stopped talking,” and she obeyed its orders to straighten her hair bow and count the steps on staircases. Learning piano and counting beats helped her deal with her OCD, however, and Margaret became “UNSTOPPABLE.” At 16, she left Singapore to study piano at Juilliard in New York City; after graduating in 1971, she performed across America, Europe, and Asia. But her OCD remained an unbearably loud, constant presence, and she stopped playing. Fortunately, in 1981, avant-garde musician John Cage introduced her to alternative musical techniques; she “coaxed tunes from tuna cans” and “poured music out of teapots.” After playing a toy piano in Cage’s honor after his death in 1992, she continued performing on the instrument to great acclaim. In 2002, Margaret became the first Singaporean to play Carnegie Hall’s main stage; in 2015, she earned the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest artistic honor. In 2022, Margaret lost vision in one eye. But to this day, Margaret continues playing to rave reviews. Kuah’s cartoon illustrations vividly convey the emotional toll that OCD took on Margaret; a scene of Margaret screaming against a backdrop of cascading numerals is particularly moving. Though readers coping with OCD may desire more details about how Margaret managed her condition, Chow’s conversational text is uplifting. Backmatter includes further biographical information and QR codes linking to videos of Margaret’s performances.

An encouraging testament to improvisation and persistence.