Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden was born in 1937 in Karlsbad, Schmidt-Gaden obtained his diploma as conductor studying with Kurt Eichhorn at the Munich conservatory. He went on to study for three years with Kurt Thomas, Choirmaster at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig. Other singing teachers included Hanno Blaschke, Otto Iro, Julius Patzak, Helge Rosvaenge, Margarete von Winterfeldt, Mario Tonelli and William Ernst Vedal. For 25 years he worked closely with Carl Orff and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
His first appearance was as a conductor at the Bach Festival in Leipzig, and he subsequently conducted at the Salzburg Festival, La Scala theatre in Milan, and the Louvre in Paris.
Schmidt-Gaden is internationally acknowledged as a children’s voice teacher and vocal training teacher. He was professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg from 1980 to 1988. From 1984 to 1989 he was Choirmaster at Teatro La Scala in Milan. In 1983 he was awarded the German Cross of Merit and in 1994 the Order of Merit of Bavaria.