Josef Hundsbichler was born in Vienna in 1996 and began taking violin lessons at the age of six, before switching to the viola in 2008. He initially studied at the City of Vienna’s Private University of Music and the Arts under Gertrud Weinmeister and Mario Gheorghiu, and eventually completed his Master’s degree under Nimrod Guez at the Würzburg University of Music. He received further formative artistic guidance from, amongst others, Tabea Zimmermann, Avri Levitan, Gunter Teuffel, Roland Glassl, Jonathan Brown, Danusha Waskiewicz and Thomas Riebl. Josef Hundsbichler gained valuable early orchestral experience as principal violist with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra (2019–2023), and from 2021 to 2023 as a trainee with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. This was followed by fixed-term appointments as a trialist with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic and, most recently, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he performs as a substitute in orchestras such as the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin and the Munich Radio Orchestra (in a solo role). Since August 2026, he has been a member of the viola section of the Munich Philharmonic. As a chamber musician, Josef Hundsbichler is a regular guest at international festivals – such as the Pau Casals Festival (El Vendrell), the Musethica International Festival (Zaragoza, Berlin), the Festival le Bonheur Musical at the Château de Lourmarin and the Weißensee Klassik Festival. In various ensembles – for example, as a member of the Hamamelis Quartet or with the Frielinghaus Ensemble – he has given chamber music performances at venues including the Vienna Musikverein, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Grafenegg Festival and the Bolzano Festival Bozen.
