Born in Warburg, Westphalia, Josef Thöne studied music in Lübeck and Hamburg (with Hannes Läubin and Peter Kallensee) and completed his degree course as a concert trumpeter and music teacher.
Josef Thöne has been a freelance musician ever since with engagements at Operettenhaus in Hamburg (‘Cats’ musical), at Deutsches SchauSpielHaus and in a variety of music groups in Germany and abroad. He’s also a music teacher at Staatliche Jugendmusikschule Hamburg.
Josef Thöne has been the director of the St. Michael’s Horn Ensemble since 1995 and the St. Michael’s tower trumpeter since 1992. The tower trumpeter plays a chorale in all four cardinal directions at 10.00 a.m. and 9.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and at 12.00 p.m. on Sunday, a tradition that has been upheld at St. Michael’s for more than 300 years.