Josip Nochta was born in Antunovac near Bjelovar in 1924. He attended secondary music school in Zagreb and graduated from the clarinet program of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. In 1972, he completed the specialization program under Miha Gunzek at the same institution. After returning
to Zagreb, he became the soloist of the Croatian National Theatre Opera Orchestra, the first clarinetist of the Zagreb Radio Television Symphony Orchestra in 1957, and the soloist of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra in 1960. Nochta also developed a soloist and chamber music career, achieving great success both locally and internationally. Critics praised his sophisticated musical talent, virtuoso playing and perfected technique. In 1973, he became a member of the Zagreb Wind Quintet, performing with the ensemble more than 900 times and recording several albums, as well as numerous recordings for the purposes of the Croatian Radio Television. He included Croatian composers in his repertoire and greatly contributed to the enrichment of the Croatian clarinet literature during the second half of the 20th century.
In 1957, Josip Nochta decided to pass on his artistic knowledge and experience to the younger generations and became the first clarinet professor at the Academy of Music in Zagreb. His enthusiasm and drive to continue developing and expanding his musical views encouraged him to include the saxophone into his overall musical activities as well, especially when it comes to teaching. This resulted in the inclusion of saxophone as one of the study programs of the Wind Instruments Department of the Academy of Music in Zagreb in 1977, with Josip Nochta as the head of the program until 1992, when he was replaced by the program’s first graduate Dragan Sremec.