About Thomas Erlank

Thomas Erlank is a South African tenor, lecturer, programme manager, and nonprofit founder whose work spans opera, art song, pedagogy, arts leadership, and social impact. He is the Founder and Director of the Absurdly Kind Foundation, an initiative committed to expanding access, opportunity, and creative growth for young scholars and emerging artists.

He currently serves as Lecturer and Programme Manager for the BA Music & Society and BA Honours programmes at North-West University, and has recently been appointed as a member of the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Humanities (FHUM). His academic work integrates teaching, research, performance, and institutional leadership through a people-centred, practice-based approach. He will graduate with a Doctorate in Music (Performance) from North-West University in 2026, and his doctoral research is due to be published in a forthcoming special edition of Frontiers in Psychology. He completed his undergraduate training at Stellenbosch University and postgraduate operatic studies at the Royal College of Music, London.

His operatic career includes appearances at the Opernhaus Zürich in productions of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Verdi’s La Traviata, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, and Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. He has also performed with Zürich Ballet and collaborated with conductors including Gianandrea Noseda and Tito Ceccherini.

Highly regarded as a recitalist, Erlank is known particularly for his interpretations of German Lieder. He has performed Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise, and Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Liederkreis throughout South Africa, Europe, Colombia, and Costa Rica. His artistic work explores the intersection of music, poetry, and emotional life, positioning song as a vital medium for contemporary storytelling and human reflection.

As a pedagogue, he has presented masterclasses and workshops at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Nelson Mandela University, Rhodes University, the University of Pretoria, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town Opera, and the Cape Town Songmakers’ Guild. His teaching focuses on vocal health, technical clarity, and artistic authenticity. He serves on the Board of the South African Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), where he contributes to membership development and outreach initiatives.

His work has been recognised through the Exceptional Teaching & Learning Award, the Novice Teaching Award (2024), and the Silwer Wings Award for Organisational Citizenship. Alongside his musical activities, he engages in photography and creative research, integrating artistic practice into broader investigations of resilience, wellbeing, and human flourishing.

Through his multifaceted career as performer, educator, leader, and nonprofit founder, Thomas Erlank continues to shape the future of classical singing and arts education in South Africa, while cultivating an expanding international presence.