In 1928, Kurt Gemeinhardt was persuaded to travel to America to create instruments in Elkhart, Indiana. After twenty years of developing flutes for others, Kurt opened his own manufacturing plant, The Gemeinhardt Flute Company, where every instrument since has been engraved with the Gemeinhardt name. Initially, Kurt's vision was to produce a limited quantity of professional all-silver flutes, but demand for his unique flutes increased beyond his expectations. The original 20- by 40-foot Gemeinhardt Flute factory was replaced in 1951 with a new plant, designed by Kurt himself, to meet new manufacturing needs. By this time the GemeinhardtFlute line expanded to include mid-priced flutes, soon followed by the introduction of entry-level flutes. Gemeinhardt's newest expansion occurred in September 1997 with the acquisition of Roy Seaman Piccolo Company. Roy Seaman manufactures handcrafted, grenadilla wood piccolos. The latest Gemeinhardt Brio Flutes are second to none. This legendary name is known worldwide for professional quality instruments.