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Joachim Schäfer is the founder and leader of several ensembles. In 1999, he founded the trumpeter ensemble that is still named after him. This ensemble initially gave concerts with an instrumentation of three piccolo trumpets and an organ. Within a short amount of time, the ensemble was able to celebrate great success due to the extraordinary understanding of the musicians for every type of music, so that additional instrumentalists could be invited to join the ensemble. Since 2006, the ensemble Joachim Schäfer has been playing with a unique instrumentation of six piccolo trumpets, timbales, and a large basso continuo. That is how the sound of the former royal courts could be revived in their musical performances. The ensemble was invited to play at nationally acclaimed concert series and festivals, such as the Chorin Music Summer (Choriner Musiksommer ), the Nieder-Mooser Organ Concerts (Nieder-Mooser Orgelkonzerte), the Hoechst Organ Summer (Höchster Orgelsommer), the Cloister Concerts in Preetz (Klosterkonzerte in Preetz), the Weilburger Castle Concerts (Weilburger Schlosskonzerte), the Quedlinburg Music Summer (Quedlinburger Musiksommer), as well as the International Bach Days in Hesse & Thuringua (Internationale Bachtage Hessen & Thüringen).

Furthermore, Joachim Schäfer has recently founded the Chamber Ensemble of Dresden Solists (Kammerensemble Dresdner Solisten), consisting of musicians of famous orchestras. Due to a regular collaboration, he is also well-connected to the Prussian Chamber Orchestra (Preußisches Kammerorchester). In 2014, Joachim Schäfer is planning to play a number of concerts with the Dresden Band Solists (Dresdner Kapellsolisten) and the Munich Bach Orchestra (Münchener Bach-Orchester). Together with the Munich Bach Orchestra, Joachim Schäfer intends to go on a big tour to present Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburgische Concerts in Japan, where he will play the Second Brandenburgische Concert, as well as other musical works.

Joachim Schäfer dedicated a lot of his time and effort to the transcription and editing of musical works. Among other musical works, he edited Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‚Auf schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten‘ (On Blaring Sounds of Lively Trumpets) based on the cantata BWV 207a, as well as Georg Friedrich Händel’s ‚Feuerwerks- und Wassermusik‘ (Firework and Water Music) for 8 trumpets, timbales, organ, and basso continuo.

Since 1998, CDs have been published regularly by the label ‚ Christophorus‘ in Heidelberg that document the brilliant trumpeting skills of Joachim Schäfer.