He made his operatic debut in 1947 in Scheveningen, the Netherlands with the ensemble of Vienna State Opera as the Italian singer in Der Rosenkavalier, a production with Anni Konetzni, Fritz Krenn and Hilde Güden.
As a lyric tenor with a remarkable range in the upper register, he specialized in roles that are generally difficult to cast, in both the 18th and 19th-century repertoire, including Jean Ph.
Carl Orff, who later became a close friend, would write to people anywhere in the world planning to perform Carmina Burana saying that John van Kesteren was his favourite "Roasted Swan".
In later years Van Kesteren specialized in character parts, as well as singing a wide concert repertoire that included hundreds of appearances as the Evangelist in Bach's St Matthew Passion.
In 1974, Van Kesteren was officially invited to start a revival of cultural ties between the Netherlands and Indonesia, presenting concerts, radio and television programmes.