Talitha Cumi Witmer

The American-Korean lutenist, Talitha Cumi Witmer started her musical studies at age 4 with church choir and piano. When she was 9 she heard a lute on a CD and immediately fell in love with its sound. Her dream to study the lute was then realized at the age of 13, when she began her formal studies on the instrument in Tokyo.

Her performances as a continuo player have included working with established musicians such as Claron McFadden, Etienne Siebens, Erik van Nevel, Maris Kupcs, Mieneke van der Velden, Daniël Brüggen, Pieter-Jan Belder, Peter Kooij, Charles Toet, Het Residentie Orchestra, het Dordrechts Kamerorkest, in consort music, cantatas, motets, oratorios, and operas. When she performed in the opera, Cendrillon by Jules Massenet together with Het Residentie Orkest, in addition to playing the lute, Talitha also worked on editing the harp part for the lute and theorbo. She was selected in EEEmerging European Ensembles of 2018 as a member of the Early Music ensemble, Le Voci delle Grazie. She plays the bass lute and is a founding member of Casulana Lute Consort, Ensemble Salve Eva, and Trio Aido. She performs in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland. 

 

She took part in master classes by many of today’s leading lutenists: Yasunori Imamura, Nigel North, Paul O’Dette, Rolf Lislevand and Hopkinson Smith. She studied the lute and theorbo under Joachim Held and Mike Fentross at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where she obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Early Music performance. Talitha has performed in Festival Classique Den Haag, Modena Grandezze, Meraviglie Festival Musicale Estense, Festival de musique Baroque d'Ambronay, Utrecht Early Music Festival, and in many more festivals. In 2022 she obtained a diploma in lute pedagogy at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis under the coaching of Peter Croton.

 

Alongside performing, she loves to teach children, read books, and go on day trips and hiking.