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Theodora Versteegh was born on 13 December 1888 in Kerk Avezaath, a hamlet nearby Tiel. Already at a youthful age she showed a promising affinity for music. In the beginning she studied piano with Sem Dresden (Dutch composer/conductor) in Tiel, but in the long run singing study attracted her more. Later she studied with Cornelie van Zanten and Tilly Koenen.

She made her oratorio debut in 1914 in Joshua (Händel). She performed +/- 250 times the solo party in the St. Matthew Passion. She also was a lieder singer and regularly to hear on stage abroad. She possessed a wide oratorio repertoire and performed under famous directors as Bruno Walter, Willem Mengelberg, Eduard van Beinum, Anthon van der Horst, Pierre Monteux, Gabriel Fauré, Zoltan Kodaly, Florent Schmitt, Carl Straube, Johan Schoonderbeek, Evert Cornelis, M.A. Brandts Buys and Lodewijk de Vocht. She sang together with the soprano Jo Vincent, tenor Evert Miedema (later, tenor Louis van Tulder) and baritone Willem Ravelli in a quartet - the "Hollandsch Vocaal Kwartet", also known as the "Jo Vincent Kwartet". Farewell on an age of 60-years with works from Dutch composers as Dresden, De Vocht, Pijper , Bordewijk-Roepman and Schouwman.

Theodora Versteegh died on 20 October at The Hague. She made several recordings for the label Columbia, many of the recordings together with soprano Jo Vincent and with the already mentioned Jo Vincent Quartet.

(p) 2008 Dutch Divas