About Thomas Erlank

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

He is a Lecturer and Programme Manager for the BA Music & Society and BA Hons degrees at North-West University, where he integrates teaching, research, performance, and institutional leadership with a people-first approach.

After completing his training at Stellenbosch University and the Royal College of Music in London, where he pursued postgrad studies in opera performance, Thomas is now completing a Doctorate in Music (Performance) at NWU. His career highlights include performances at 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 appeared with the Zürich Ballet and collaborated with conductors such as Gianandrea Noseda and Tito Ceccherini.

Renowned as a recitalist, he is celebrated for his interpretations of Lieder, with performances of Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise, and Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Liederkreis across South Africa, Europe, Colombia, and Costa Rica. His work explores the intersection of music, poetry, and emotional life, positioning song as an essential medium of contemporary storytelling.

As a pedagogue, Thomas has presented masterclasses 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 emphasises vocal health, technical clarity, and artistic authenticity. He also serves on the Board of the South African Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), contributing to membership development and outreach.

His contributions have been recognised with the Exceptional Teaching & Learning Award, the Novice Teaching Award (2024), and the Silwer Wings Award for Organisational Citizenship. Beyond music, he pursues photography and creative research, integrating the arts into explorations of resilience, wellbeing, and human flourishing.

Through his multifaceted work 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 a widening global impact.