Pierre de Bethmann
Born in 1965 in Boulogne-Billancourt. Begins his musical training when 6 years old, learning classical piano, and progressively discovers the world of jazz from 12 years old and on. Concurrently pursuing his formal general studies and his musical training (both in classical and jazz), he graduates from ESCP (French equivalent of Yale) in 1987. He then studies for one year at the Berklee College of Music (Boston-USA) in 1989, and carries off with Prysm the first prize of the National Jazz Contest of La Defense in 1994.

Having started a career of management consulting from 1990 until 1994, he radically switches his orientations to become a professional musician in 1995, a year after having founded the trio Prysm with Christophe Wallemme and Benjamin Henocq. Since 1997, Prysm has been extremely busy, as much on stage (more than 50 concerts per year, including 3 international tours, one in the US, one in Japan and one in the Middle East) as on records (4 albums released on Blue Note).

He creates in 2001 his new quintet Ilium, developing with it a brand new repertory built around the Fender Rhodes, touring extensively in various French concerts venues, and whose first album is released on April 8th 2003 (Effendi/Naive).

Also a member of various steady formations (to quote a few Olivier Ker Ourio’s, Stephane Huchard’s, David El Malek’s), he has occasionally performed with notably Eddie Henderson, Aldo Romano, Philip Catherine, Francois Jeanneau, Patrice Caratini, Stephano Di Battista, Sylvain Beuf, Francois Theberge, Julien Lourau, Norma Winstone, Sarah Lazarus…

Beside Ilium and Prysm, he has recorded several albums with Olivier Ker Ourio, Stephane Huchard, David El Malek, Jean-Loup Longnon, Jean-Christophe Beney, and the big band Quoi de Neuf Docteur.