After being expelled from Silesia at the end of the Second World War, he attended the humanistic high school in Bamberg (Upper Franconia) and after graduating from high school in 1954 prepared himself for his future profession as a music teacher. He took up his first teaching post in 1956 in Serrfeld (commmunity Sulzdorf/Lower Franconia) after the first teaching examination, and since 1968 he has worked as a primary school teacher in Schweinfurt (Lower Franconia).
He began his career as a musician in 1962 when he initiated the national teacher choir “Fränkischer Singkreis” and from then on directed it. In 1963 he passed the cantor examination at the Bayreuth Church Music School. In 1966 he received the Bavarian State Scholarship for a two-year course at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, which among other things. also included “elementary music and movement education”. There he also established his musical and personal relationship with Carl Orff.
After his return to Schweinfurt in 1968 Gunsenheimer was entrusted with the direction of the oratorio choir “Liederkranz Schweinfurt”, which he led 1968-1997. In 1968 he founded, too, the music model classes there. He has been a cantor at St. Lukas since 1969 and in 1970 initiated the annual “Musiktage am Hochfeld”, for which he was able to win leading soloists, choirs and instrumental ensembles. As the successor to Karl Thomas, Gunsenheimer took over the management of the annual choir director week in the State Association of Evangelical Church Choirs after his death in 1973 and is also director of the annual seminar for children's choir directors. In addition, Gunsenheimer was the long-time choir director of the German-Austrian-Swiss Singing and Playing Week in Salzburg and lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Würzburg, later at the local Music University in the field of music therapy. For the FSB he works as a speaker on the regular courses and acts as a member of the music committee. In 1983 he was awarded the title “Church Music Director” and the honorary title “Choir Director”, in 1987 the city medal in Schweinfurt and in 1990 the Federal Cross of Merit. His extensive compositions include choral works such as cantatas, motets, choral suites and movements, as well as instrumental works, many of which have been recorded on record or by radio. A list of his works was published in 1991. (Rainer Stelle)