Born in Westerland on Sylt, Hinrichsen studied Germanistic and History at the Free University of Berlin.
Hans von Bülow und die ästhetische Konstruktion der deutschen Musik.
Hinrichsen is co-editor of the Archiv für Musikwissenschaft and Schubert: Perspektiven at Franz Steiner Verlag.
In addition, he was president of the Allgemeine Musik-Gesellschaft Zürich (AMG) from 2001 until 2007 and, to the present day, the International Bach Society Schaffhausen (IBG).
His research interests include Johann Sebastian Bach and Franz Schubert as well as music analytical studies.