Josef Wagner was born in Ohlau (Silesia) in 1909. His paternal grandfather was Jewish, but both his parents were Christian. He studied in Breslau and Berlin, and later lived as a composer and pianist in Breslau. In 1930, he won the Blüthner Grand Piano prize in Dresden, and the Chopin prize in Warsaw in 1932. In 1933, he married the writer Lessie Sachs. They had met at a musical soiree in Breslau, which was hosted by Lessie Sachs. In the same year, he lost his position at different radio stations and concert companies because of the fact that his grandfather was Jewish. In the following years, he was only able to perform for private audiences and abroad. In 1938, the couple immigrated to the United States with their daughter Dorothy, who was born in 1934. Josef Wagner played in concert and on radio stations in several cities. Starting in 1943, he also taught in New York, Syracuse, and St. Louis.
After the death of Lessie Sachs in 1942, Josef Wagner married Kahli, a native of India. He died in 1947, after a period of long suffering due to an illness he had contracted while on tour in the Pacific.
From the guide to the Josef Wagner Collection, 1927-1947, (Leo Baeck Institute)
