Anselm Hartinger was born in Leipzig in 1971. A graduate of the Thomasschule, he studied musicology, mediaeval history and modern history in Leipzig before completing a doctorate in Marburg with a thesis on the performance practice of Bach and musical life in Leipzig in the first half of the 19th century.

After holding positions as an associate at the Leipzig Bach Archive (2003 to 2006), the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (2006 to 2011) and the Württemberg State Museum in Stuttgart, he worked from 2014 to 2019 as director of the city of Erfurt’s museums of history. In April 2019 he was named director of the Museum of City History Leipzig and in 2022 he additionally took on the role of managing director at the Foundation for the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig.

Anselm Hartinger has authored numerous publications and produced exhibitions and educational events on issues ranging from museum practice and the culture of remembrance, the history of culture and mentalities in Leipzig and Central Germany, and the biography and historical reception of Bach, Luther and Mendelssohn. He has also worked as a city guide and accompanied cultural and historical tours in Germany, England, Switzerland and the USA. Since 2010, he has supported the J. S. Bach Foundation St. Gallen as a musicologist and programming advisor.