Since his success at the ARD International Music Competition in 1986, Reinhold Friedrich has been playing on the world’s most important stages. He performs worldwide as a soloist with numerous renowned orchestras such as the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest (Royal Concertgebouw), Bamberger Symphoniker (Bamberg Symphony),  Wiener Symphoniker (Vienna Symphony), Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Barock Solisten (Berlin Baroque Soloists) and Cappella Andrea Barca under the direction of Sir Andras Schiff, Reinhard Goebel, Semyon Bychkov , Peter Eötvös, Andris Nelsons, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, Sir George Benjamin and many others.

Since the foundation of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in 2003, he has been permanent principal trumpet, first under Claudio Abbado, and now under Riccardo Chailly, as well as artistic director of the Brass Ensemble of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Reinhold Friedrich is professor of trumpet at the Karlsruhe University of Music and honorary professor at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid.

As part of his involvement in contemporary compositions, he has premiered a large number of works by Wolfgang Rihm, Hans Werner Henze, Luciano Berio, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Matthias Pintscher, Eino Tamberg, Benjamin Yusopov and Peter Eötvös, among others.