Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Eden. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Ray Eden began making magic at the age of sixteen (16) in his hometown of Wooster, Ohio. He studied and practiced from magic books borrowed from the local public library, before starting to perform magic for children’s birthday parties and school assemblies. He never lost his love for the art throughout his college years at Kent Christian College, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology, and soon he was incorporating magic into his religious presentations. However, the bright lights of New York City would serve as the backdrop for his next magical endeavors.
Upon arriving in New York City in 1989, he began performing magic in Manhattan’s famed Central Park, where he would draw large crowds of passersby. A short time later, he began to perform stand-up magic in some of New York’s most prestigious comedy clubs (New York Comedy Club, Stand Up New York, and Pips) and close-up magic at dinner clubs such as Le Bar Bat – a New York City restaurant that catered to television and film celebrities – and The Old Mill Inn located in Spring Lake, New Jersey.
In November of 1998, Ray left his native United States and moved to Finland. It wasn’t long before he was entertaining and mystifying guests at various parties, including political functions on behalf of Parliament member Pia Viitanen. On June 10, 1999, he made his first Finnish television appearance on the teen-oriented television program Summeri. More TV programs would follow including Älä Katso!, Katso pois!, Lauantaivekkari, Ihana Aamu, Mitä Ihmettä?, Kestääkö Kantti? and the Jim Salabim Taikashow.
On January 24, 2020, Eden returned to the United States, where he is continuing to make his magic.
Eden has received commendations from the United States Air Force as well as several awards from the magic community for his presentation of magical effects. Several of his presentations have been published in American magic magazines such as Tannen’s Magic Manuscript and Mortimer’s Magic Journal. Eden has written a series of essays for Jokeri magazine entitled My Philosophy of Magic, and a treatise entitled Magic and the Medieval Magician.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing is ever easy. I returned to the States in January 2020, with several entertainment possibilities set up and ready to go. Then the pandemic hit.
Like the rest of the world, I sat back and waited for the world to reopen. During those years, I worked on the show, making sure it would be ready when things returned to the “new normal”.
The pandemic put my Stateside magic career on hold, but I’ve been able to start getting shows in South and Central Florida.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a professional magician. I do everything from close-up magic to performing large-scale stage illusions, depending on the needs of the client and the venue.
I guess I’m known in magic circles for my performance of the Balls in the Net, which is considered one of the most difficult pieces of sleight-of-hand magic created in the early 1900s by Silent Mora. I recently was asked to perform the piece for a magic conference held in Orlando.
Currently, my personal greatest accomplishment was my dinner stage show that I performed over two years in Helsinki, Finland. I’m reworking that show for an American audience, making it more family-friendly, and hope to have it up and running by the end of 2024.
Most performance magic in Florida seems to be walkaround magic, that is, magic that is done for small groups. My focus is stand-up/stage magic and formal close-up magic.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Having a magic mentor is extremely important. Too many aspiring magi focus too much on the trick and not nearly enough on the performance. While living in Finland, I wrote a series of articles called My Philosophy of Magic for a Finnish magic magazine called Jokeri. The articles focus on the reasons why we do magic and how to make the most of a trick with proper framing and presentation.
Having a mentor saves a lot of time if the student is ready to listen. Young magicians should look into clubs such as the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Society of American Magicians (I’m a member of both) to get help from seasoned professionals and magic enthusiasts. Magic clubs require some proficiency in the art before considering taking in a new member. So it’s best for a young magician to read magic books.
Learning from books, that can be found at your local library, are the best way to learn magic, as they don’t impede your personality from being infused into the effect. I recommend that the student should choose 3 tricks from the books that work well together to create a routine.
And then those 3 tricks should be practiced continually until they become second nature. After the proper time has been given to the practice, go out and perform those 3 tricks as often as possible and the effects can be done without thinking. Once that’s accomplished, the student will be seen as worthy of further instruction.
I was lucky to get mentorship from some well-known names in the magic world while living in NYC: Although I’d been doing tricks since I was 16, it wasn’t until I was mentored that the tricks became magic. One must have an “in real life” mentor. Hands-on, face-to-face instruction is far superior to online tutelage.
Pricing:
- Show-by-show basis – starting around $300
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rayedenmagic.com
- Instagram: @rayedenmagic
- Facebook: RayEdenMagic
- Twitter: @rayedenmagic
- Youtube: RayEdenWorldofMagic
