Twinkle dammit!
Documentary Feature
70 minutes
In 1971, Margaret Leng Tan was the first woman to earn a Doctorate from the Juilliard School. Since then, her five-decade career has positioned the musician as a figurehead of avant-garde music, owing in part to her unique incorporation of the toy piano in her performances. A close associate of the late John Cage, we meet Leng Tan at the age of 71 as she embarks on an iconic collaboration with George Crumb, one of the last remaining avant- garde composers of his era. TWINKLE DAMMIT! gives access to the rarely-seen creative process between two musical geniuses, and peels back the public layers of the worlds greatest toy piano virtuoso to explore the private obsessions that have lead to a life committed to art.
TWINKLE DAMMIT! is a rare and important film because it profiles a leading figure of avantgard music. We are able to understand the development of Leng Tan’s life, her career and her singular impact on her field through her own words, making this a truly intimate and authentic record of an artist’s life. The extremely exclusive access it gains to Leng Tan’s personal archive, as well as to the creative process of musical genius George Crumb in his old age, make this a film of critical historical value to the preservation of avant-garde music in America.