Who We Are
Trio Aido is composed of the soprano, Kaho Inoue and the lutenists, Simon Vander Plaetse and Talitha-Cumi Witmer. They met while studying at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and share a unique friendship and a common philosophy for life and music making.
The word Aido means “sing” in the ancient Greek language. The imitation of vocal expression by singing on instruments is the underlying idea that forms music throughout the Renaissance and Baroque. Trio Aido was named in reference to this ancient philosophy which holds singing as the highest art of expression given to the human race.
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Trio Aido has performed a wide repertoire including English Renaissance and Baroque music, Italian Monodia, and sacred music of the French and German Baroque. In summer of 2023 they will release their first CD. They have received coaching from Peter Croton, Julian Behr, Dr. Anna Marie Dragosits, and Evelyn Tubb. They were selected for the artistic residence program of the 2022 ECOS Festival, in Sierra Espuna, Spain. In August 2023 they will be giving a concert tour in Japan.
The Members
Simon Vander Plaetse
Theorbo, Lute
Originally from Belgium, the theorbist/guitarist Simon Vander Plaetse began his studies in Basel, Switzerland. He studied guitar with Prof. Stephan Schmidt and Pino Feola at the Hochschule für Musik Basel, and theorbo/lute with Peter Croton at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. He started a Performance Master’s Degree in early music at the Schola in 2022.
He won prizes at multiple youth competitions with guitar, including a first prize with excellence in the category contemporary music at the Swiss National Youth Music Competition.
On the theorbo, he has experienced playing continuo in different formations and has participated in ensemble playing lessons from renowned early music players such as Julian Behr and Amandine Beyer.
Talitha-Cumi Witmer
Theorbo, Lute
​The American-Korean lutenist, Talitha-Cumi Witmer started studying the renaissance lute at age 13. She studied lute and theorbo under Joachim Held and Mike Fentross at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. In 2022 she obtained a master’s degree in lute pedagogy at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis under the coaching of Peter Croton. She plays bass lute and is a founding member of the Casulana Lute Consort and Ensemble Salve Eva. She has performed at Utrecht Early Music, Modena Grandezze Meraviglie Festival Musicale Estense, and Festival de musique Baroque d'Ambronay.
As a soloist and continuo player, she has performed in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland.
Kaho Inoue
Soprano
​The Japanese Soprano, Kaho Inoue started studying voice at age 14. She studied voice under Prof. Eiko Hiramatsu at Tokyo University of the Arts and Early Music under Yukie Sato and Prof. Ulrich Messthaler. She obtained a bachelor’s degree at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and is planning a master's degree at the Schola starting in 2022. As a soloist, she has performed in Japan and Switzerland.
She is a member of La Cetra.