Biography
Pianist Kathleen Supové has emerged as a central presence in New York’s contemporary music world, where she has commissioned roughly 100 pieces and staged performances that incorporate electronics alongside theatrical components. Her appearances have taken place at prominent locations and festivals devoted to avant-garde repertoire.
Born January 16, 1951, in Portland, Oregon, she received early encouragement from her father, Lawrence Supové, an engineer and activist whose 1964 mayoral campaign in that city proved unsuccessful. He arranged lessons for her with Elesa Scott Kenney, one of Portland’s leading piano instructors. Supové completed her undergraduate studies at Pomona College in Claremont, California, in 1973; there she first encountered contemporary music and began directing her energies toward it. She later earned a master’s degree from the Juilliard School in New York, studying principally with Daniel Pollack, Rosina Lhévinne, Josef Raieff, and Russell Sherman. After capturing top awards at the Gaudeamus International Competition, she introduced herself to wider audiences with a guest performance at Germany’s Darmstadt Festival, a leading European event for new music. Her recording career began in 1988 with a contribution to the multi-pianist anthology Neuma: New Music Series, Vol. 2. The first album issued under her name alone, Figure 88, appeared on CRI in 1992 and featured compositions by Lukas Foss, Frederic Rzewski, and her husband, Randall Woolf.
Supové has become particularly recognized for recitals presented under the heading The Exploding Piano, programs that integrate spoken text, costumes, specialized lighting and scenery, and electronic elements. These events have also served as platforms for premieres of the more than 100 commissions she has obtained from leading contemporary composers such as Louis Andriessen, Joan La Barbara, Terry Riley, and Missy Mazzoli. She has collaborated with the Philip Glass Ensemble and performed at the Lincoln Center Festival and Carnegie Hall, as well as at forward-looking venues including the Knitting Factory and the Cutting Room. In addition, she appears regularly with the rock band Dr. Nerve. Her discography spans releases on Koch International, Albany, and New Focus; the last of these issued her contribution to Guy Barash’s album Killdeer in 2023. By that point her total recorded output, including joint projects, numbered around 40 titles.
Born January 16, 1951, in Portland, Oregon, she received early encouragement from her father, Lawrence Supové, an engineer and activist whose 1964 mayoral campaign in that city proved unsuccessful. He arranged lessons for her with Elesa Scott Kenney, one of Portland’s leading piano instructors. Supové completed her undergraduate studies at Pomona College in Claremont, California, in 1973; there she first encountered contemporary music and began directing her energies toward it. She later earned a master’s degree from the Juilliard School in New York, studying principally with Daniel Pollack, Rosina Lhévinne, Josef Raieff, and Russell Sherman. After capturing top awards at the Gaudeamus International Competition, she introduced herself to wider audiences with a guest performance at Germany’s Darmstadt Festival, a leading European event for new music. Her recording career began in 1988 with a contribution to the multi-pianist anthology Neuma: New Music Series, Vol. 2. The first album issued under her name alone, Figure 88, appeared on CRI in 1992 and featured compositions by Lukas Foss, Frederic Rzewski, and her husband, Randall Woolf.
Supové has become particularly recognized for recitals presented under the heading The Exploding Piano, programs that integrate spoken text, costumes, specialized lighting and scenery, and electronic elements. These events have also served as platforms for premieres of the more than 100 commissions she has obtained from leading contemporary composers such as Louis Andriessen, Joan La Barbara, Terry Riley, and Missy Mazzoli. She has collaborated with the Philip Glass Ensemble and performed at the Lincoln Center Festival and Carnegie Hall, as well as at forward-looking venues including the Knitting Factory and the Cutting Room. In addition, she appears regularly with the rock band Dr. Nerve. Her discography spans releases on Koch International, Albany, and New Focus; the last of these issued her contribution to Guy Barash’s album Killdeer in 2023. By that point her total recorded output, including joint projects, numbered around 40 titles.
Albums
