He was a stage painter. During his military service, his voice was first noted. When he sang at a private wedding, he was
heard by chance by the conductor Fred Roeske, who facilitated his allowance into the choir of the Nederlandsche Opera in 1894.
Soon, De Vos appeared in comprimario parts. In 1904/05, he toured the USA with the Savage Opera Company, singing Parsifal in
almost 40 cities.
Back to Europe, he joined the Royal Flemish Opera in Antwerp, and sang also in France and Germany until World War I. The rest
of his career was spent in the Netherlands; with the Nederlandsche Opera (which was reorganized and re-founded a few times
under various names), he remained connected for a total of 35 years – until 1929, that is. He also sang with other
Dutch troupes (Co-Opera-tie Den Haag, Hollandsche Opera, Theater Carré); with the Co-Opera-tie Den Haag, he made a
guest apperance at the Paris Opéra in 1926, singing Florestan. From 1925 to 1932, he was responsible for the operatic
productions at Radio Hilversum.
His repertory was focused on Wagner, and also included Pedro, Canio, Don José or Gennaro in I gioielli della
Madonna.
He recorded for G&T in 1903 and for Pathé in 1910; all his records (a total of 16) are extremely scarce.
Reference 1; reference 2: Kutsch &
Riemens
