Theodora Versteegh (1888 – 1970)

Theodora Versteegh was born in 1888, in Kerk-Avezaath near Tiel. Her teachers were the two renowned pedagogues Cornélie van Zanten and Tilly Koenen. She made her in Handel’s Joshua in 1914 and dedicated her career exclusively to oratorio, concert and song. She was a wonderful interpreter of Bach’s Passions (she sang the solo contralto part in St. Matthew Passion more than 250 times!) and cantatas. With Jo Vincent, Evert Miedema (later also with Louis van Tulder) and Willem Ravelli she formed a fine singing quartet. Theodora Versteegh regularly appeared in Belgium, Germany and France. In the Thirties she began to work as a singing coach but went on to sing until 1948.