Music Publisher Schott becomes the property of the Strecker Foundation

After 253 years in private hands, Music Publisher Schott is to become the property of the Strecker Foundation, thus securing its independence forever. The historic house at Weihergarten 5 in Mainz remains the publishing house's headquarters, while more recent parts of the building are developed with the Molitor company to create a "House of Music" alongside apartments.

The shareholders of the Schott publishing house in Mainz have transferred their shares to the non-profit Strecker Foundation. This means that after 253 years in private hands, the renowned Schott publishing house will become the property of the foundation, which currently has assets of around 18 million euros, as of December 2023.

In the interests of composers, authors and employees, this will ensure the music publisher's independence in the long term. The foundation and publishing house will continue to operate independently. The takeover of the shares by the Strecker Foundation will ensure smooth continuity of  business activities and its publishing profile, so that the traditional core business of the music publishing house, the publishing of contemporary music, remains intact. Schott-Verlag will continue to be based in the historic house at Weihergarten 5 in Mainz.

The chairman of the Strecker Foundation is Dr. Peter Hanser-Strecker, who has lead the publishing activities  of Schott-Verlag for over 50 years. He is stepping back from operational management to concentrate on the foundation's publishing profile and the extensive tasks associated with promoting music. His daughter Saskia Osterhold, who has been an authorized signatory of Schott-Verlag for many years, will work alongside him as an additional member of the Board of Trustees. The music publishing house will be managed by Denis Martin Freiberg and Dr. Thomas Sertl.

"With the transfer of ownership to the foundation, the continued existence of the publishing house is secured, as is its publishing vision. Schott will continue to be the home of the best composers in the future and will endure for eternity. I am very grateful that all the shareholders have taken this path together." (Dr. Peter Hanser-Strecker, publisher and Chairman of the Board of the Strecker Foundation).

The Strecker Foundation will dedicate its long term focus to the promotion of music, particularly in the field of children's and adult education, the promotion of young artists and musicologists and, in future, increasing support of music therapy projects. The Strecker Foundation will take the initiative in supporting larger-scale projects, cooperating with other foundations, and in this way support musical life even further.

One of the long-term on-going activities is the foundation's own project "Singing is great". For three years, it has been funding music lessons in schools where there are no regular music lessons, and was awarded the German Cultural Promotion Prize in summer 2023.