Dutch pianist, improviser, music theorist and educator Karst de Jong (1961) is internationally recognized in the field of classical improvisation, having transformed his artistic practice from performing classical pieces to bringing improvisation to the stage. He published research on music theory, improvisation and collaborative music creation. With longstanding teaching experience in Higher Music Education, he held positions at renowned institutions in the Netherlands such as the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, as well as at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona. Since 2023, he has served as a full-time professor at the NUS YST Conservatory in Singapore. 

With his focus on promoting the integration of improvisation in the practice and education of classical musicians, he was closely involved in realizing substantial changes in the music theory curriculum of the Royal Conservatoire of Den Haag over the past ten years, and in developed new ways of guiding classical musicians through the process of creating new music together, both in the orientation phase of their study as well as in orchestral projects and improvisation events. 

As a pianist and performing improviser, Karst de Jong has given concerts, masterclasses and workshops of improvisation for all combinations of instruments at internationally renowned festivals and institutions. He released two CDs with piano solo improvisations, "Improdisiac I & II." 

As a researcher, Karst de Jong has published numerous articles on improvisation, collaborative music creation and music theory, and appeared at many national and international conferences. He was a co-founder and board member of the Dutch Belgian Society of Music Theory, as well as an editor for the Dutch Journal of Music Theory. Since 2012 he has been supervising artistic research projects in the Masters studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Den Haag, and has also been actively involved in the development of the Research Catalogue, an online publishing platform for artistic research.