Dejonghe, Koen

Koen Dejonghe is a pianist, composer and educator. He studied music education and piano at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven, studying piano with Levente Kende. He subsequently obtained an advanced diploma in chamber music and first prizes in fugue and composition at the Royal Flemish Conservatoire in Antwerp, where he studied composition with Willem Kersters. On 1 October 1986, he was appointed visiting professor of practical harmony on a contractual basis; between 1986 and 2004, he also taught repertoire studies, sight-reading and improvisation there.

Dejonghe began composing relatively late, but went on to build a varied catalogue encompassing chamber music, orchestral works, songs, choral music, opera and musicals. His music often draws on the past without seeking to recreate historical styles. Traditional harmony, recognisable motifs, canonic techniques, sound fields and layered textures are combined with influences from pop, rock and film music. Major works include Vier stukken voor cellokwartet, Drie Gezelle-liederen, Sintra, the Second String Quartet, the Violin Concerto and the opera Ket. His later music tends towards a more direct, simpler and more accessible idiom, often tonal or modal in character.