Listener sentiment
Sticky Notes continues to command near-universal listener enthusiasm, with recent ratings reflecting the same overwhelmingly positive reception seen over the past two years. Host Joshua Weilerstein is consistently praised for making classical music accessible without dumbing it down—listeners range from complete newcomers to professional musicians, and all describe gaining fresh insight into both familiar and unfamiliar works. His passion, erudition, and talent for blending music theory with historical and emotional context remain the show's defining strengths, and many listeners treat the podcast as essential preparation before attending live concerts. A notable recent development is the show's recognition by the New York Times, which several reviewers cite as how they discovered the podcast and which they celebrate as well-deserved. Calls for more episodes in French and broader repertoire suggestions are recurring but minor, reflecting engaged rather than dissatisfied listeners. The audio-level issues noted in prior reviews—Weilerstein's voice often mismatched in volume to the music clips—continue to surface as the sole recurring technical complaint, though it does little to dampen overall enthusiasm. The political-fundraising controversy that surfaced in late 2024 has largely faded from recent reviews, suggesting that episode of backlash was temporary.
Apple4.9 · 489
Summary generated Sep 21, 2026
