Selmer Paris

Henri Selmer, a talented clarinetist, began his business by crafting reeds and mouthpieces. In 1898, he started producing clarinets. In 1904, Alexandre Selmer, Henri’s brother, presented these clarinets at the Saint Louis World’s Fair in the United States, where they won a gold medal, establishing the brand’s reputation for excellence. In 1929, a pivotal moment in the company’s history was the acquisition of the Adolphe Sax workshops, the inventor of the saxophone. This allowed Selmer to become the successor to Sax’s legacy and begin the production of brass instruments, in addition to their successful clarinet and saxophone lines.

The company’s first saxophone, the Model 22, was released in 1922. Subsequent models like the Balanced Action (1936), the Super Action (1948), and the iconic Mark VI (1954–1975) became industry standards, played by jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins.

Henri Selmer Paris remained family-owned until 2018, when it was sold to the private equity fund Argos-Wityu. The company continues to innovate with modern models like the Supreme and Signature saxophones, manufactured in its historic Mantes-la-Ville factory.