Sturm came from a long-established weaver family in Sebnitz. He attended the Kreuzschule in Dresden and trained as a musician and composer at the music school of the chamber musician Friedrich Tröstler and at the Dresden Conservatory. At the age of twenty, he took over the direction of the Dresden Singers' Association. He also performed as an opera singer at the Chemnitz City Theatre and the Dresden Court Theatre and gave singing lessons. From 1875, he headed the Elbe District Singers' Association. In 1876, Sturm was appointed music director in Biel, Switzerland, where he conducted the Liedertafel (choral society) and led several cantonal singing festivals. His choral concerts and oratorio performances influenced contemporary musical life. Sturm was also extremely prolific as a composer. From the late 1860s onward, he wrote more than 200 compositions, mostly choral pieces.