Josef Reif was born in 1980 in Amstetten and had his first piano lessons at the age of five. Five years later he began horn lessons with Walter Reitbauer. At the age of 15 he enrolled at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna to study horn with Roland Berger. He completed his studies with Thomas Jöbstl, graduating with distinction in May 2007.
His work as a substitute horn player led him to perform with prestigious Austrian orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Lower Austria, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Orchester Wiener Akademie, at the Neue Oper Wien and for Musical Vienna. From September 2003 to March 2013 Josef Reif was a member of the orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper. Since March 2013 he has been first horn in the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, and since 2016 he has been a member of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Josef Reif is also an enthusiastic chamber musician and performs in numerous smaller ensembles, among them Vienna Horns, Austrian Brass Connection, Concert Jazz Orchestra Vienna, Nouvelle Cuisine, Rudi Wilfer Jazzband, The Percussive Planet Ensemble, Die Matterhorns and the Theophil Ensemble Wien.
