improviser

American  

[im-pruh-vahyz-er] / ˈɪm prəˌvaɪz ər /

noun

1. a person who improvises or is skilled at improvising, especially in a performance art such as music, acting, stand-up comedy, or public speaking.

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Example Sentences

To be an organist, he writes, “requires being one-third interpreter of classical repertoire, one-third jazz improviser, and one-third theologian.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

To be a good improviser, you have to listen and react, taking cues from other people and giving your partner equal weight.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2024

In June, the National Endowment for the Arts announced that Blanchard, 61, would receive a 2024 Jazz Masters fellowship, the highest lifetime-achievement honor available to a United States-based improviser.

From New York Times • Sep. 6, 2023

Jason Sudeikis and I used to play basketball together in New York years ago when he was a writer on "SNL" and I was just a struggling actor and improviser.

From Salon • Jul. 16, 2023

The exercises at the petersax site mentioned above would also be useful for the beginning improviser.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones