After he passed the Abitur at the Thomasschule zu Leipzig followed studies at the Kirchenmusikalischen Institut [de] of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig: organ with Karl Straube, piano with Carl Adolf Martienssen and Robert Teichmüller as well as musical composition with Kurt Thomas, Günter Raphael and Johann Nepomuk David.
As there was a lack of entertainment compositions at the station, he began to compose in this field and took the pseudonym Conny Odd.
Among his students were Volker Bräutigam, Michael Heubach, Walter Thomas Heyn, Karl Ottomar Treibmann, Volkmar Leimert and Rainer Lischka.
As Conny Odd, he was the most successful operetta composer of the GDR next to Gerd Natschinski, with some works having a musical theatre character.
In the DEFA film Geliebte weiße Maus from 1964, for which he wrote the music, he also appeared as pianist of the dance orchestra.