March (Stevens & Pound): Hot off the Press!
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
It has been one year since we launched our blog Thought of The Month on www.stevensandpound.com. We have since been lucky enough to have been invited to write articles for some pretty major publications; from The Guardian to BBC Music Magazine. Here's the collection:
Folk duo Stevens & Pound have transformed, and added to, Holst’s The Planets Suite and tour the new work this week with Britten Sinfonia. Will Pound explains why playing by ear is his greatest strength
By Will Pound
January 27th 2026
“This is not a question of right or wrong: I’ve always challenged the notion that classical players can’t play folk, or folk musicians can’t play classical. Whether you call our tour dates gigs or concerts, the two genres are far more interlinked than we have been led to believe.”
Top artists recall their best and worst performances
By Delia Stevens
January 26th 2026
“The concert felt like the future of what classical music can do…to make a political statement while reflecting on the folk music of Holst and my classical background felt like a moment that my whole life had been leading up to.”
Here, percussionist Delia Stevens - one half of the classical-folk collaboration Stevens & Pound - reflects on her definition of success; from where she is as a musician today and whilst growing up in the classical music industry.
By Delia Stevens
June 12th 2025
“Earlier in my career I allowed my success to be defined by judging panels, competition outcomes and examination marks. These days I have a completely different benchmark.”
Delia Stevens from percussion and harmonica/melodeon duo Stevens & Pound writes about her relationship with music and the climate
By Delia Stevens
December 8th 2025
“As a musician, I had never previously considered myself to be a climate activist, but have realised that action can take many guises. Artistic collaboration allows me to amplify unheard voices in the conversation around our relationship with the natural world.”
And finally, this one is behind a paywall and not strictly by Stevens & Pound, but rather a collaborator of ours about a joint project with the duo - the acclaimed NY Times bestseller writer (Is A River Alive?, Underland, Spellsongs: The Lost Words) Robert Macfarlane:
The nature writer has collaborated with musicians Delia Stevens and Will Pound on a reimagining of Holst’s ‘The Planets’
By Robert Macfarlane
January 24th 2026
“Earth is “the silent planet” because it was omitted from Holst’s original suite, of course, but also because our Earth is being silenced in real and desperate ways. As human-driven extinction rates skyrocket and natural abundance declines, what Bernie Krauss called “the great animal orchestra” is losing its performers.”
Well, who knew starting a blog would lead to all of this! Thanks so much for subscribing to our newsletter (these kind of thoughts monthly in your inbox) and supporting our madcap ideas. We believe being a musician is a whole lot more than just playing the notes, and hopefully a read of some of these musings will explain why.
Delia and Will
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