Jos van der Kooy (Rotterdam, 1951) has been active in various aspects of Dutch and international music life for more than half a century. The scope and versatility of his repertoire are legendary. His way of playing is known as driven, dynamic and emotional.

Jos studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam where Piet Kee laid the foundations for his long career. Between 1977 and 1981 he won prestigious national and international improvisation prizes at competitions in Bolsward, Haarlem and St. Albans (UK). In 1981 he completed his studies by obtaining the Prix d' Excellence in organ and improvisation. He received additional lessons from Hans Haselböck, Cor Kee, Ewald Kooiman, Daniel Roth and Charles de Wolff, among others.

From 1981 to 2019 Jos was the cantor and organist at the Westerkerk in Amsterdam. Of all the organists who have been associated with the Wester in the course of three centuries, Jos has been in office the longest. From 1990 to 2017 he was the city organist of Haarlem. In Haarlem, he played the world-famous Müller organ in the Great or Saint Bavo Church and the Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Philharmonie. For his work in Haarlem, he received the Silver Medal from the Vereniging Haerlem (2015) and the Silver City Medal from the Municipality of Haarlem (2017).

Since 2007 he has been the organist for the Council of State in The Hague. As of 1 January 2020, Jos has been appointed as the organist of the Remonstrant Arminius Church in the centre of Rotterdam.
Jos van der Kooy teaches organ, improvisation and church music at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and at Leiden University.
He was awarded the Société Académique ´Arts, Sciences, Lettres´ in Paris for his services to French music, twice, in 1989 and 2000. In 2011 he was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange Nassau.