Kaja Majoor started playing the violin at the age of seven. She followed her first violin lessons at the State Music School in Warsaw, Poland. From 2012 until 2016 she attended the School for Young Talent in The Hague. She is currently studying with Arisa Fujita at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Within her master she is doing a NAIP specialization (New Audiences and Innovative Practice) to combine her musical and artistic skills – next to violin, she also studied illustration/design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam (graduated in 2023).
In 2016 she was the co-founder of the Pelargos Quartet, playing the second violin. Together with the quartet Kaja followed the chamber music minor program of the conservatoire and received many masterclasses from members of the Kronos Quartet, Jerusalem Quarter, Hagen Quartet, Danel Quartet, Casals Quartet and Dudok Quartet.
In June 2019 Pelargos Quartet performed the Helicopter String Quartet by Karlheinz Stockhausen at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam for which they received rave reviews in the international press: “the musicians were celebrated like pop stars by the delighted audience”.
Next to her love for classical, contemporary and chamber music repertoire, Kaja has a great passion for jazz music. From 2017 until 2020 Kaja took a minor in jazz violin with Tim Kliphuis. She was three times concertmaster of the Jong Metropole Orkest (2019-2021) where she worked with conductors such as Jules Buckley, Miho Hazama and with the band members of the Grammy-winning Snarky Puppy. In 2022-2023 she participated in the orchestra Academy of the Metropole Orkest, where she worked with Louis Cole and Vince Mendoza.
Currently, Kaja is working on a project called 'Seeing Sounds,' an interdisciplinary performance that explores synesthesia through self-made graphic scores. The project caught the attention of Galerie Ron Mandos in Amsterdam and was selected for the 'Best of Graduates 2023' exhibition. The live performances took place multiple times at the Kröller Müller Museum in August, with additional performances already planned for the coming time.
Work experience (violin):
Violinist
Freelance/ZZP
2021 - now
Violinist
Pelargos Quartet
2016 - now
Violinist
Stichting Mimic Muziek
2022 - now
Metropole Orkest
2023 - now
Noordpool Orkest
2022 - now
Orchestra Academy
Metropole Orkest
2022-2023
Concertmaster
Jong Metropole
2019 - 2021
Violinist
Nationaal Jeugdorkest
2017 - 2019
Festivals:
2023 September Me
2023, 2021 Muziekzomer Gelderland
2023 Rewire Festival
2020 Andriessen Festival
2019 Warsaw Autumn Festival
2019 Holland Festival (Helicopter Quartet)
2018 North Sea Jazz Festival
Education:
2022 - 2024
Master – Violin
New Audiences and Innovative Practice
Royal Conservatory, The Hague
2019 - 2023
Bachelor of Arts – Illustration
Willem de Kooning Academy,
Rotterdam
2016 - 2020
Bachelor of Music – Violin
Royal Conservatory, The Hague
2013 - 2016
School for Young Talent – Violin
Royal Conservatory, The Hague
Press reviews:
2023 NPO Klassiek
2020 MOre
2019 New York Times
2019 Washington Post
2019 Süddeutsche Zeitung
2019 CultuurPers
Featured on television and cinema:
2022 'Licht' documentary about Stockhausen
2021 'Blauw Bloed' with Pelargos Quartet
2019 VPRO: Holland Festival #2