Gudrun Engelhardt began her violin studies at the age of four in Magdeburg. She later attended the music boarding school of the Spezialschule für Musik in Weimar for five years (studying with Prof. Fritz Ehlers and Jörg Hofmann), followed by university studies in Weimar and subsequently in Berlin with Prof. Eberhard Feltz. 

Her first professional engagement took her to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra (now the Konzerthausorchester Berlin) as assistant principal concertmaster. Alongside her orchestral work, she began to explore Baroque performance practice in depth, eventually leaving the orchestra to focus more intensively on Baroque music and chamber music projects. 

She gained her first experience in Baroque music with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, of which she has been a permanent member since 1991. In this ensemble, she has collaborated for over 30 years with renowned conductors and soloists from around the world. 

In addition to her work with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, she has performed for many years with leading Baroque orchestras including Capella Augustina, Bell’arte Salzburg, Neue Düsseldorfer Hofmusik, Collegium Cartusianum, and Cappella Coloniensis. She also regularly appears in chamber music groups within the Baroque scene as well as ensembles in Germany and abroad performing classical, Romantic, and modern repertoire, and served for many years as a guest with the WDR-Sinfonieorchester.