by NIKKI ROBERTI
Lifestyles Reporter

It’s 8 a.m.—the first day of classes.

What would seem to be a boring class filled with sleepy students questioning where their summer went soon turned into a magical performance with all participating.

Sammy R. Cortino may seem like an ordinary junior electronic broadcast major, but this 19-year-old leads a life that’s more than meets the eye.

Sammy R. Cortino is a junior electronic broadcast major and a professional illusionist. Photo Special to The Appalachian

He’s a professional illusionist.

In fact, he has been performing magic professionally in public since the age of 11.

But according to tales his family tells, Sammy has been a magician all his life.

“The unofficial time [I started doing magic] was when I was two years old and was sitting in a booster seat at a restaurant,” he said.

Somehow Cortino got a hold of a quarter and made it disappear.

“My mom looked for the quarter afterwards and couldn’t find it,” Cortino said. “That was my first trick. It’s legend, I guess.”

Over the years Cortino has performed in various venues from Barnes and Noble, to library summer reading programs, to even a 45 minute slot at the Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir which seats 1,000.

He is also a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Young Magicians Club, both prestigious organizations in the magic world.

To be a member of the Brotherhood of Magicians, an applicant must be endorsed by current members.
Cortino, who was 12 years old at the time, said he figured he might as well get prominent members to sign his application.

After going through contacts, Cortino’s application was signed by famous magicians Sigfried from Sigfried and Roy, Lance Burton, and Terry Evans.

Sammy’s membership to the Young Magician’s Club occurred this past year.

“I originally got involved when I visited the Magic Circle in London,” he said. “That’s quite a headquarters first of all. It’s probably the coolest magic place in the world.”

Members must be voted in and Cortino received a unanimous “yes.”

“They are really selective and so the fact that I was accepted so well really overwhelmed me,” he said.

To Cortino magic is more than just his aspiring career; it’s his passion.

“It’s the connection the show has with the audience, and their response that’s my most favorite part of performing, he said. “It’s that impact.”

While he said it’s hard for him to choose his favorite trick, Cortino said he is particularly fond of his Levitation act from his bigger performances.

“Larger shows are a theater of the mind type of things where the audience is transported from the theater on an airplane into another dimension,” he said. “That’s the whole theme of the show where they are in another dimension where everything is possible and nothing is what it seems.”

Magic can get a bit pricey, but Cortino has financially supported his magic career and prop needs since he was 11.

Cortino built most of his props for big tricks, which can be viewed on his Web site SammyCortino.com.

While balancing being a  professional magician and a full-time student with 17 hours this semester may seem “tricky,” Cortino said he is able to maintain a normal life with friends and family as well.

In fact, the Cortino people know onstage is different than who he is in real life, he said.

“There are two sides of me. There’s me, Sammy, and then there is stage Sammy,” Cortino said.

“Stage Sammy, like any performer, is my alter ego. A lot of times I seem more extroverted on stage. Offstage I am more quiet, you wouldn’t even know I was a magician unless I told you.”

There is a possibility of a show at Appalachian in the works, Cortino said, but he doesn’t want to say too much and “ruin the surprise.”

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments