Having made her concerto debut with the Rzeszów Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland at the age of thirteen, Kaja Nowak has since performed across Europe as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. She has appeared with orchestras in Poland, Germany, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with artists such as Ivry Gitlis, Philippe Graffin, Jean-Marc Philips Varjabedian, Gary Hoffman, Raphael Wallfisch, Nobuko Imai, Christian Ivaldi or Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden among others, as well as with many exciting musicians of her generation. Appearances at chamber music festivals have included Schiermonnikoog, Consonances, Musique de Chambre á Giverny, Resonances, Midis-Minimes, Rome Chamber Music Festival, Musiq3 Festival, Ysaÿe's Knokke, Iedereen Klassiek, Klarafestival, Lake District Summer Music, Grachtenfestival, Numen; she has also participated in the Open Chamber Music sessions at IMS Prussia Cove in the UK and performed in venues such as Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw aan t’IJ in Amsterdam, Anton Philipszaal in The Hague, Flagey in Brussels, or Concertgebouw in Bruges.
In 2018 Kaja became a founding member of Karski Quartet. The group has since participated in several study programmes (Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam residency, RNCM in Manchester) and has enjoyed a steadily developing career with concerts across Europe, a tour in the States planned for 2026 and a multitude of positive reviews for their debut album of Boccherini’s string quintets, recorded with cellist Raphael Fëye for Evil Penguin. A second release is planned for September 2025, with music by the Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz. Kaja's other discography includes two albums recorded with the St. George Quintet, both critically acclaimed by the international music press; a world premiere recording of Frederick Septimus Kelly's String Trio, released digitally; and À la Valse, with Enescu's Octet for strings and a new transcription of Ravel's La Valse for string nonet, recorded with a small string ensemble led by Philippe Graffin. 2026 will bring new releases: music for voice and strings with Karski Quartet and mezzosoprano Lotte Verstaen; a second batch of Boccherini string quintets; as well as a premiere recording of Kevin Raftery's Concerto for two violins and small orchestra, recorded with Philippe Graffin and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra led by Robertas Šervenikas. Kaja's recordings have been broadcast by classical music radio stations such as the British BBC3, Dutch Radio4, and Belgian Musiq3 and Klara.
Kaja is a laureate of several Polish competitions in solo as well as ensemble categories; the recipient of the Stage Personality prize, awarded upon her graduation from the Master programme in the Royal Conservatory in The Hague; and the Prix Georges Octors, awarded by the city of Brussels to the best music students. She studied with Konstanty Andrzej Kulka in Warsaw and with Philippe Graffin in The Hague and Brussels.