Pianist Kathleen Supové is a major force in New York's contemporary music scene, commissioning some 100 works and performing concerts that involve theatrical elements and electronics. She has appeared at major venues and events that emphasize avant-garde music. Supové was born on January 16, 1951, in Portland, Oregon. Her father, Lawrence Supové, was an engineer and activist who ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Portland in 1964. He encouraged his daughter's musical ambitions and signed her up for lessons with one of the city's top piano teachers, Elesa Scott Kenney. Supové attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, graduating in 1973. It was at Pomona that she was first exposed to contemporary music, and she increasingly focused her efforts in that direction. She went on for a master's degree at the Juilliard School in New York. Supové's principal teachers included Daniel Pollack, Rosina Lhévinne, Josef Raieff, and Russell Sherman. After winning top prizes at the Gaudeamus International Competition, she launched her career with a guest appearance at the Darmstadt Festival in Germany, one of Europe's top contemporary music-oriented events. In 1988, Supové made her recording debut, along with several other pianists, on the album Neuma: New Music Series, Vol. 2. Her first solo album, Figure 88, appeared in 1992 on the CRI label; it included works by various composers, including Lukas Foss, Frederic Rzewski, and her husband, Randall Woolf. Supové is especially well known for her piano recitals, many of them presented under the rubric The Exploding Piano. These featured such elements as text recitation, costume, theatrical lighting and sets, and electronics. They have also been vehicles for many of the more than 100 works Supové has commissioned and premiered from a long list of top contemporary composers that includes Louis Andriessen, Joan La Barbara, Terry Riley, and Missy Mazzoli. She has appeared with the Philip Glass Ensemble and performed at the Lincoln Center Festival and Carnegie Hall, as well as progressive clubs such as the Knitting Factory and the Cutting Room. Supové also performs with the rock band Dr. Nerve. She has recorded for various labels, including Koch International, Albany, and New Focus, where she appeared on the Guy Barash album Killdeer in 2023. By that time, her recording catalog, including collaborators, comprised some 40 items. ~ James Manheim, Rovi