Chicagoland’s 19-year-old Bill Koch is not your typical teenager. Since the age of 14, he has been a professional magician. Don’t be misled by his age! Bill is quickly becoming one of the most recognized magicians in Chicago. Bill is a recent alumnus of The Jeff McBride Magic and Mystery School located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On July 8, 2008, Bill was a competitor in the 5th Annual Chicago Magic Competition sponsored by legendary S.A.M. #3 (founded by Harry Houdini in 1917) and Navy Pier. Before an audience of more than 100 in the beautiful Crystal Gardens area of Navy Pier, eleven performers, with a range of professional experience, each performed their best ten minutes in front of a panel of celebrity judges, including world-famous magician Bill Malone and award-winning artistic director of Porchlight Music Theatre, L. Walter Stearns.
The celebrity judges determined the First, Second, and Third place recipients, while the audience determined the People's Choice Award winner. Bill was the First Place winner and received a $1,000 performing contract with Navy Pier. He also was the winner of the People’s Choice Award and received handcrafted magic wands from Fortress Wand Works and commemorative hand-calligraphied certificates.
Bill has traveled to Las Vegas three times to attend the World Magic Seminar. In 2007, he entered the Stage and Close-Up Competitions in which he received the Award of Excellence from Lance Burton and a $1000.00 scholarship for performing his original act involving CD manipulation. This year, Bill again received the Award of Excellence from Lance Burton and placed 2nd out of all the competitors from around the world in the close-up competition!
This past January, Bill was the co-star in The Amazing Chicago Magic Show and has been a recurring star performer in The Amazing Chicago Magic Show that is held on the third Wednesday of every month in Chicago at The LaCosta Theatre. Bill also has performed on cruise ships, in Florida, and in Canada.
You can check out Bill’s winning performance held at Navy Pier at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io0YojBWBBs. You can also check out Bill’s website at www.magicbillk.com or you can e-mail him at magicbillk@mac.com.
Be sure to check out this rising star of magic!
