VELTHUYSEN, Anny Mesritz Van

Anna (Anny) Mesritz-van Velthuysen was a Dutch pianist and composer. Annie initially wanted to become an actress , but her father forbade it. However, her grandfather supported her in training with Carel Wirtz (piano) and Henri Viotta (composition) at the Hague Conservatory , with whom she also became friends. She won a gold medal for piano performance (1907) as well as the Nicolaï Prize for composition theory (1908). That she won this prize as a woman was seen as a remarkable achievement; her predecessor as winner was Cornelie van Zanten , who won it twenty-six years earlier. As her final exam piece, she conducted her Theme with Variations and Orchestra .