Curt Engwicht was born in Germany and began studying piano and violin at the age of ten. He came to the United States in 1925 and earned a bachelor's degree in music from Bethany College in Lindsborg. He took his master's degree from The University of Kansas in 1943. He taught instrumental music in Chapman for twenty-five years and from 1959 to 1971 taught instrumental music in Salina. In 1978 he was awarded a citation from the Kansas Federation of Music Clubs, and in 1981 he was honored as a "Friend of the Orchestra" by the Salina Public Schools.