The Art of Influence: Sarah Jeffery and Lucie Horsch

Among the most prominent figures of their generation, recorder players Sarah Jeffery and Lucie Horsch  embody two complementary ways of bringing early music to wider prominence today. In 2017, their meeting on the Team Recorder YouTube channel, hosted by Sarah Jeffery, already revealed the existence of an audience curious to discover the behind-the-scenes world of this repertoire and of the instrument that brought them recognition. Their discussion covered everything from favorite pieces, styles of the instrument, how to handle nerves, and even the momentary delights of munching on bananas and napping in the dressing room prior to hitting the stage. The insider’s view attracted widespread attention, amassing more than 119,000 views. Since then, their careers have continued on an upward trajectory. Jeffery’s Team Recorder now reaches 250,000 subscribers. Horsch continues to release albums that reveal visionary insight. Both have just been appointed REMA ambassadors for the International Day of Early Music 2026, a role that extends their commitment to a form of early music that is more visible, more accessible, and attentive to new audiences. Now, both have been named REMA ambassadors for 2026, roles that will see them carrying on the work they’re already undertaking. A conversation with two musicians who, each in her own way, are helping to renew the landscape of baroque music.

Sarah, the influencer

For Jeffery, that effort initially grew out of a whim. Ten years ago, she found little information about the recorder online. So she took her iPhone 6, propped it on her bed, and recorded a short video about her experience playing the instrument. The video hit a niche, attracting views from a Facebook community. She knew she had struck a chord and set out recording a video every week for the next five years, filming episodes in her bedroom, then her yellow-papered hallway, before eventually adopting the professional gloss of a home studio. The videos covered all kinds of topics: performing, recorder technique, historical instruments, and even the balance between mental health and a public-facing career. Today, Team Recorder reaches audiences in 196 countries around the world.

Jeffery fell in love with the recorder at age 6. Her family wasn’t overly musical, but she received support from her mother, who herself dabbled in the instrument. Jeffery’s progress was largely self-driven. But as she matured, she initially had other plans for the future. “I was planning to be a doctor,’ she recalled. But her music teachers swayed her in another direction. “They explained to me that you can go to study at a magical place called a conservatoire and study music,” she said. “I had no idea. I was very insecure because I’d never had a recorder lesson. But they gave me the confidence I needed.” Jeffery’s diligence won her spots at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degree in recorder. “It’s from that moment of deciding, yeah, I’m going to be a recorder player,” she said. “I’ve never looked back.”

Even so, the life of a professional musician can be cut-throat. But Jeffery blazed her own path through sheer grit. She gained success as a performer of both early and contemporary music and kept up with YouTube. In 2022, she joined the faculty at the Royal College of Music. Yet she stayed busy with performing, giving masterclasses, and publishing tutorials and collections of recorder music with Schott and Hal Leonard. Her busy schedule changes quickly, but the work has defined her. “I knew I’d be doing a portfolio career,” she said. As a professional she thrives by creating the work herself.

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