Pierre de Bethmann Medium Ensemble

Born in 1965 and raised in Paris, France, Pierre de Bethmann began classical piano lessons at age 6, only later discovering the world of jazz. He continued his musical and regular studies apace, graduated from ESCP in 1987 (major French graduate school of management), and studied one year at Berklee College of Music (Boston) in 1989. He actually started working as a management consultant for five years, before abandoning the desk to become a fulltime professional musician in 1995. He first co-founded trio Prysm with Christophe Wallemme and Benjamin Henocq. From 1995 to 2001, Prysm recorded four albums on Blue Note, performed over fifty concerts a year, including tours in the U.S., Japan and the Middle East. He then raised another project in 2001, under the code name ilium, exclusively based on original music. The band (a 5tet which eventually turned into a 7tet, then a 4tet, and lately a 12 piece Medium Ensemble) has extensively toured in various French venues, and has released six albums total. He recently started a new acoustic trio with Sylvain Romano and Tony Rabeson mainly focused on standards from both sides of the Atlantic, which gave him the occasion to start his own label ALEA - first album ESSAIS / VOLUME 1 was released in October 2015. He has lead several artistic residencies in France, in l'Opera de Lyon in 2006, in Theatre de L"Onde a Velizy between 2008 and 2010, and finally in L'apostrophe, scene nationale de Cergy-Pontoise, between 2012 and 2015, and has played as a sideman for long lasting collaborations with Moutin Reunion, David El-Malek, Christophe Dal Sasso, Michael Felberbaum... and occasionnaly with countless French or international major leaders. He has recorded twelve albums as a leader or co-leader, and has taught at the CNSMDP (Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris) since 2008. --- Grand Prix Jazz of Academie Charles Cros 2016 Victoires du Jazz 2008 - French instrumental album of the year Django Reinhardt Prize 2004 - French musician of the year Django d'Or 1998 - French group of the year (Prysm) 1st prize at the Concours National de Jazz de La Defense in 1994