Gerlinde Otto was born in Halle/Saale and received her first musical instruction at the age of five. She later studied with Dr. Rudolf Neumann at the Spezialschule für Musik Halle/Leipzig before continuing her studies at the Leipzig (Prof. Heinz Volger), Warsaw (Prof. Lidia Kozubek) and Weimar (Prof. Rolf-Dieter Arens) conservatories. Concert tours led her to Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Ukraine, Canada, South Korea and China. Radio and television productions round out her artistic activities. In addition to her work as a soloist, Gerlinde Otto is a versatile chamber musician and lied accompanist.
Since 1992, she has held a professorship in piano at the FRANZ LISZT School of Music Weimar. She is also a frequent jury member at national and international music competitions.