Recorder31 Day 16 | Spotlight on Junior Royal Academy Students

During Recorder31, we love to showcase players and performers at all stages of their recorder-playing journey. Ahead of an exciting opportunity for young players coming next week, we are pleased to showcase three talented young London-based students poised to take the baton for the next generation of recorder playing.

Hassan, Joseph, and Alma are recorder students at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music. As part of the department's recorder ensemble, they have performed at various festivals across the UK including the EMS/SRP Festival, LIFEM, and the Birmingham International Recorder Festival. As members of the JRAM Recorder Ensemble, they had the opportunity to premiere a composition by David Gordon at Cadogan Hall. They have recently formed the Pictor Trio and are looking forward to an exciting year, performing at LIFEM and ORDA.

We asked them all to discuss their experience of studying at JRAM along with sharing some of the music, and musicians, who have inspired their recorder journey.

The Early Music Shop: How did you first start playing the recorder, and what made you want to keep going?

Joseph: I first got interested in the recorder because my mum told me she was teaching a toy caterpillar how to play (crafty)…I was intrigued and got hooked. It was only later (when I was about 6) that I noticed the caterpillar had stopped coming to lessons, and I was the one learning how to play.

Alma: When I was five, my parents encouraged me to pick up the recorder as a starter instrument, but I enjoyed it so much that I continued lessons. I was lucky enough to have a great teacher whom I looked up to. She ignited a passion and I just kept going!

Hassan: At around 7 my mum gifted me a plastic recorder. I started messing around on it and I haven’t stopped since! I think I was drawn to its sound, it’s so close to the human voice that it gives you a response straight away compared to other instruments.

The Early Music Shop: What’s your favourite piece to play on the recorder, and why?

Joseph: I’m playing a piece by a Greek composer called Calliope Tsoupaki - it’s really hard and I love that feeling you start out with when it feels like the piece is a tangled ball of string that needs unravelling. That sounds like a Greek myth in itself!

Alma: My favourite piece is Music for a Bird (H. M. Linde) because of its huge range of extended techniques which you can make your own and experiment with. I love how every person plays it differently, and it’s always huge fun to surprise the audience with it!

Hassan: I fell in love with Bach’s flute sonata in E minor, particularly the first movement, after hearing Michael Form’s recording. It’s not flashy but it’s melody is so pure which makes it very moving. That simplicity is deceptive as there’s nowhere to hide!

The Early Music Shop: How do your friends feel about you being a recorder player? Have you ever been mocked for playing recorder? If so, how do you respond?

Joseph: Many people my age haven’t seen a recorder before, so they are a bit mystified, and older people often have memories about the recorder being taught in their primary school. Either way, you’ve got limited expectations about what a recorder can do, and that element of surprise, when it comes to an audience, is great to work with.

Alma: Personally I have never been made fun of, and my friends think that my recorder playing is a cool talent. At a school event, I once played two recorders at once in Fanfare & Dance (Bob Margolis) and the best reaction was an appreciative “I didn’t expect that!”

Hassan: I think that every recorder player has been mocked in some way as it’s often seen as a child’s instrument, that’s why I try to perform as much as possible to challenge that stereotype. I’m lucky to have really supportive friends and they are always amazed by the versatility of the instrument.

The Early Music Shop: What's the hardest thing about playing the recorder well, and how do you practise to get past it?

Joseph: I think the hardest thing is to keep your breathing relaxed yet controlled, especially in fast passages.

Alma: For me, the hardest thing is varying the types of articulation for different phrases, as it is easy to become lazy and use the same one for a while. I practise repeating phrases with as many different articulations as I can think of, and then choosing the ones I feel fit best.

Hassan: Intonation is really tricky on the recorder - affected by your air pressure, temperature, embouchure, the pitch and recorder size! I focus on having a strong, steady air stream and regularly experiment with alternate fingerings so that there’s no mishaps when I’m performing.

The Early Music Shop: Who's your recorder hero, and why?

Joseph: Charlotte Barbour-Condini, when she won the woodwind category in the Young Musician of the Year, I felt she really put the recorder on the map.

Alma: I’m a huge fan of Lucie Horsch, as I admire her musicality and freedom in playing, underpinned by her amazing technical stability and thoughtfulness. We are lucky enough to have had two masterclasses with her at the JRAM, which were incredible opportunities. She is a real inspiration!

Choosing one standout musician is too tricky as there’s so many amazing players! Frans Brüggen for defining the recorder, Michaela Petri for her modern concertos and premieres, Erik Bosgraaf’s versatility, Maurice Steger’s exciting interpretations, Michael form for his thoughtful historical interpretations. I could go on and on!

About the contributors

Joseph Sainsbury won the woodwind prize at the North London Music Festival in 2023 and came second in his age category at ORDA in the Netherlands and won the Giuliana Bianco Prize at the New Talent Festival in 2025. He has played in ensembles with Alma Nunez Debretzeni and Hassan Marzban at the Birmingham Recorder Festival, Bedford Park Festival, LIFEM and the Recorder Festival in Saltaire.

Hello, I’m Alma, I’m 16 and I study the recorder at the JRAM with Barbara Law, an incredibly inspiring teacher. I enjoy playing in concerts and taking part in competitions, such as the Tel Aviv Recorder Festival in 2022, where I won first prize in two categories. My most recent concert was at the Islington Festival where I was the youngest artist.

Hassan Marzban is a British Indian recorder player from North London currently studying at the Junior Royal Academy of Music. He has performed extensively as both a soloist and ensemble musician. Concerto performances include his solo debut with the LMP and baroque concertos with JRAM and the Chiswick Chamber Orchestra. Other highlights include his collaboration with the ENO and recent recitals at LIFEM, EMS Fringe festival, Wild Arts festival, the Ryedale Festival as a Waverley Young Artist 2025 and St James Piccadilly, in addition to modern concertos scheduled with the St Paul’s Sinfonia for September 2025. Achievements include first prize at the North London festival of music, the Croydon Performing arts festival, The Royal Academy music woodwind prize, and the Gregynog young musician of the year woodwind prize.

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The Paetzold by Kunath SOLO Knick Tenor is a radical take on a tenor recorder. This knick model with full keywork is made from Resona plastic, yet sounds much like a ‘conventional’ tenor with a breathy sound and a full, even range. Check out the audio clips below or follow this link to find out more about this instrument.