When an email from Bill Cheung lands in your inbox in May, it’s worth reading twice. Bill warmly recalled our shared visit to the Christmas dinner show the previous year and thanked us for the subsequent report in Aladin. But the real reason for his message was an invitation that would make any magician’s heart beat faster: an exclusive allocation of places at Secrets Session IV for the Magischer Cirkel Kärnten (MCK). Within just a few years, this event has become one of the most exclusive and sought-after gatherings in the inter national magic community. It’s an invitation-only convention strictly limited to 100 selected participants from more than two dozen countries – including no fewer than fourteen FISM world champions. They don’t come to perform for a lay audi ence but to share, test, challenge and refine the magic of the future among fellow performers, critics and friends. Since our esteemed editor-in-chief Hanno Rhomberg did not put me under deadline pressure for this article, I deci ded to take a deep dive. To do justice to those three days in Wiener Neustadt requires more than a few superficial lines; it calls for a report from the heart of the action.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
A Warm Welcome and World-Class Magic
The trip began with a relaxed Friday morning. In Austria, when you stop for lunch at a restaurant and notice peop le at the next tables casually handling coins and cards, you know you’re approaching the centre of a magic convention. At exactly 2 p.m., the doors of the Bill Cheung Magic Theater opened. Even in the foyer, it was clear how lovingly every detail had been prepared. Magischer Ring Niederösterreich provi ded energetic logistical support. Particularly notable was Alexander Lechner (Softie David), who seemed tirelessly to be learning names, welcoming guests and relieving Bill Cheung of the organisational burden. From the first moment, you felt not like a registration number but like an invited guest at a large family celebration. The convention gift underlined the high standards: an exclusively designed deck of playing cards, an elegant col lectible coin, a personalised card holder engraved with the guest’s name and further surprises. The constant presence of playing cards already suggested the weekend’s direction: if anyone in the room were to ask for a deck during the next 72 hours, a hundred hands would instantly shoot up. After an atmospheric introduction in the darkened theat re, our host welcomed 100 guests from 29 nations. The pro gramme immediately got down to business. In Session 1, Bill Cheung , Sara Rodríguez and Tino Plaz opened proceedings.
Their technical precision was breathtaking. Although English was the main language spoken in the room, the performers’ visual language was universally understood. Watching their sleight of hand, you quietly wondered whether decades of practice might make it biologically possible to twist finger joints into entirely new positions to create an impossibili ty on the table. The teaching format was ideally structured: first pure astonishment, then a joint exploration of the me thod, valuable practical tips from professionals and finally an opportunity to examine the material further at the dealers’ stands.Liam Ball took over immediately in Session 2. With a fra grant rose and refreshing British humour, he demonstrated routines from which even the enthusiastic amateur could take ideas directly into their own repertoire.
FISM Qualified Contest (FQC)
FISM-Level Excitement and Suspense
With our accommodation conveniently located in the hotel next door, there was just enough time for a quick change before the prestigious FQC Close-Up Championship began.
Eleven contestants took part: Alex Cahill (UK), Harry Fontaine (Austria), Thomas Genias (Cyprus), Harald Hoffmann-Tombor (Austria), Stepan Smid (Czech Republic), Owan Némo (France), Ruo Yue Dai (Germany), Andrei-Catalin Artenie / Arcan (Germany), Augusto Amen (Denmark), Klaus Wiedermann (Austria), and Joshua Kenneth (Spain).
Anyone who has ever organised a competition of this calibre knows just how much work goes on behind the scenes: setting the lighting, fine-tuning the sound, preparing props, briefing volunteers, and ensuring that every element of the programme runs precisely on schedule.
The distinguished international jury reflected the significance of the event. Among its members were FISM World President Andrea Baioni, FISM Europe President Xavier Tapias, Magic Christian, Guest of Honour Michael Vincent, Christian Engblom, Rudolf Heuer, Hanno Rhomberg, Shimpei Katsuragawa, and host Bill Cheung. Two experienced magicians, Wolfgang Moser and Gleb Tsarou, also had the opportunity to gain valuable experience as trainee judges.
The performances showcased the remarkable diversity of contemporary close-up magic, ranging from classical, elegant sleight of hand and subtle storytelling to highly original and inventive presentations. As a spectator, one could only wonder how the jury would manage to establish a fair ranking among such outstanding performers, whose artistic styles were often so different that direct comparisons seemed almost impossible.
Anyone who thought the day would end with the championship was in for a surprise. Although the programme announced that the bar and lounge would open at 8 p.m., a closer look revealed another highlight: a special late-night session with Kiko Pastur at 11 p.m.
Accompanied by his "invisible friend," Kiko Pastur presented an extraordinarily intelligent, almost poetic display of card magic. His performance provided the perfect conclusion to an unforgettable first day of the convention, bringing the evening to a magical close at around 1 a.m.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
In-Depth Magic, Culinary Delights, and a Spectacular Gala
After a short night, the programme resumed at 10:30 a.m. The schedule was tight – academic discipline in the best sense. Joshua Kenneth opened with a specialist session on marketing, brand identity, brand books and typography for magicians. What might initially sound dry proved a visual ly brilliant and extremely practical presentation. The sub sequent questions and comments from seasoned masters added enormous value for anyone wanting to present them selves professionally. While the jury withdrew over lunch to make mathemati cally precise assessments of the competition entries, par ticipants had an opportunity for some exercise. Dining op tions in the industrial estate were limited, but the walk did us good: Saturday still had a long programme ahead. (See Hanno Rhomberg’s insider account from a jury member’s perspective.)
AN AFTERNOON OF MAGIC
History and the Art of Systematic Thinking
At 2 p.m., guest of Honor Michael Vincent took the stage. His session was far more than a demonstration of tricks; it was a deeply moving tribute to magic. Vincent intertwined memo ries of his own life and gratitude towards his mentors with masterful technique. When an artist of his calibre shares life stories while casually making miracles happen before the au dience’s eyes, you completely lose track of time. His passion for quality, aesthetics and respect for the audience was pal pable throughout the room.
Christian Engblom followed. He gave a fascinating de
monstration of how complex principles can be organised lo
gically and made practical. Concepts such as the ’political
shuffle’ – in which an enormous amount happens but abso
lutely nothing changes in the end – provoked both laughter
and moments of revelation. Even attendees with limited ex
perience discovered first-hand how a carefully thought-out
structure can allow someone to memorise an entire deck in
a remarkably short time.
Gala Dinner and the Art of Enchantment
After the seminar, it was time for a quick change in the hotel
room! Meanwhile, Bill Cheung’s team and Softie David had
transformed the theatre with impressive speed for Christi
an Engblom’s seminar. Despite more than 130 people in the
room, the atmosphere was intimate and family-like.
The buffet offered plenty of variety, service was excel
lent and conversation at the tables was lively. Between star
ters and main courses, cards flew, coins travelled and newly
purchased props were tried out at almost every table. At 8 p.m. came the evening highlight: the International
Gala Show, hosted by Liam Ball. What followed was an artistic firework display. Giancarlo Scalia , Sara Rodríguez , Shawn Farquhar
,Christian Engblom, Woflgang
Moser
, Hernan Maccagno, Kiko Pastur
and Michael Vincent demonstrated world-class stage and close-up magic. The fascinating aspect of this format is the
immediacy of the transition: the colleague with whom you’d
been discussing a technical subtlety over dinner two hours
earlier suddenly stands in the spotlight, enthralling the en
tire theatre. Camera work, lighting design and sound were
flawlessly coordinated.
Anyone looking for a quiet moment after the gala found it
in the late-night jam sessions. Perhaps the convention’s most
memorable image occurred at around three in the morning:
magicians of different generations and nationalities sitting
together on the lounge carpet, sharing knowledge freely, perfecting minute details of movement and simply celebrating
the joy of their art.
SUNDAY, 18. OCTOBER 2026
Sunday offered no chance to feel tired either. At 10:30 a.m., Hernan Maccagno took over. With infectious energy, he challenged fundamental routines that had been performed for decades. His humorous yet carefully considered rewor king of the classic 21-card trick, together with his concepts of visual camouflage and the perception of space and time, were intellectually explosive. Maccagno showed convincingly that even apparently exhausted standard effects leave end less room for innovation.
Giancarlo Scalia followed immediately. He enchanted the room with his incomparable elegance in handling coins, rings and playing cards. His presentation focused on body langu age, economy of movement and the sensitive guidance of the audience. After the FISM jury forum, where judging criteria were di scussed openly, came the formal finale: the awards ceremony, announcing the prize-winners, followed by the Award-Win ning Gala Show. Mentalism duo Anca & Lucca provided the crowning conclusion, once again astonishing the room with their perfectly coordinated performance.
By late afternoon, it was time for us to take the train back to Carinthia. The three-hour journey flew by. Neither of us touched our phones: we spent the entire time discus sing the countless impressions, techniques and encounters we’d experienced.
With Secrets Session IV, Bill Cheung once again demons trated what makes a successful specialist gathering. It isn’t the sheer number of participants that matters, but the quali ty of the content, the warmth of the hosts and the space for genuine exchanges among colleagues.
We wholeheartedly congratulate all the winners, thank Bill Cheung and his fantastic team for the invitation and are already looking forward to next time!
