Siyabulela Ntlale

Ensemble: (Former) Theater Erfurt

Freelancer: Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, Cape Town Opera, South African College of Music

South African baritone Siya Ntlale was a member of the ensemble at Theater Erfurt, where he performed a wide range of leading baritone roles. Guest engagements include Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, and earlier appearances with Cape Town Opera and the South African College of Music.

Mr. Ntlale holds a postgraduate degree in Performance with Distinction from the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town (2015), where he studied under Professor Kamal Khan and Angelo Gobbato. His vocal training began at UCT in 2009 with Patrick Tikolo and later George Stevens. From 2007 to 2009, he was a member of Cape Town Opera’s Vocal Ensemble, where he worked under Albert Horne. His earliest musical experiences were with the Matthews Singers in Port Elizabeth under Mzwandile Christopher Matthews.

His repertoire at Theater Erfurt included title roles in Rigoletto and Nabucco, as well as Giorgio Germont (La Traviata), Miller (Luisa Miller), Amonasro (Aida), Lionel (Die Jungfrau von Orleans), Lescaut (Manon Lescaut), Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette), Ortel (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Heerrufer (Lohengrin), Sprecher (Die Zauberflöte), Conte Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Captain Balstrode (Peter Grimes), among others. In 2025, he made his role debut in the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff at Mainfranken Theater Würzburg.

Earlier work in South Africa included performances at UCT and Cape Town Opera in roles such as Schaunard (La Bohème), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Don Bartolo (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Le Nozze di Figaro), Dapertutto (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), and Barone di Trombonok (Il Viaggio a Reims). He made his European debut at Theater Erfurt in the 2015/16 season as Don Giovanni. His portrayal of Rigoletto earned the Audience Prize for Best Production in the 2014/15 season.

Mr. Ntlale was awarded second prize at the 33rd International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition (2014) and was the first laureate of the Gobbato-Qavane Operatic Award (2013). He is also a recipient of the Rialto/Olitalia bursary.