Lee Cohen, Director of The Melbourne Magic Festival and President of The Australian Institute of Magic, will be at The Northcote Town Hall, Saturday July 4, 2015 to present Cosentino the first ever Levante Award for outstanding accomplishments in Australian magic.
The Melbourne Magic Festival, the largest event of its kind in the southern hemisphere, has established The Levante Award to honour Australian magician Leslie George Cole a man who, in 1939, was elected by The International Brotherhood of Magicians the number one magician in the world.
Levante performed death defying escapes, toured the globe with a grand illusion show for thirteen straight years and performed feats no other Australian magician has ever come close to… until now.
Cosentino is the first Australian magician ever to have his own television specials (which have now aired in over 40 countries). He is currently touring his latest live show TWISTED REALITY – which is filled with grand illusions and death defying stunts – across the globe.
Radio 2GB’s Alan Jones declared Cosentino “The most dominant figure currently in Australian entertainment” while Dannii Minogue says “Australia has never, ever had a performer like Cosentino.”
The Australian magic community agrees, and is paying Cosentino the ultimate tribute in peer recognition by presenting him with The Levante Award.
The award ceremony will take place at 4.00pm at The Melbourne Magic Festival (189 High St, Northcote) immediately before The Australian Junior Championships of Stage Magic on Saturday July 4. Please call 9481 9500 for show ticket information.
Cosentino presented with The Levante Award
ABOUT COSENTINO
Cosentino, the international magician of the year, is now firmly established as one of the biggest and most popular entertainers in Australia.
In his own unique and award-winning style, Cosentino fuses traditional sleight of hand magic, grand illusions and physical demonstrations into cutting-edge presentations. He escapes the boundaries of the past and performs the most original and progressive effects witnessed today.
A true trail-blazer for his craft, Cosentino was the first Australian magician to star in his own TV shows. He wrote, produced and starred in 4 prime-time TV specials for the Seven network. Those specials have now aired in over 40 countries.
Cosentino is now established as international promoter Live Nation’s highest-grossing local live act. He latest live show TWISTED REALITY contained 13 sold-out shows across the country and broke his established record for ticket sales. Across 2015, Cosentino’s TWISTED REALITY show will be performed across South East Asia, North America and New Zealand.
Cosentino was officially acknowledged as ‘2013 International magician of the year’ by the International Magicians Society, New York (the International Merlin award). This prestigious recognition is the highest honour in magic with past recipients including David Copperfield, Criss Angel and Penn & Teller.
Cosentino the Grand Illusionist is a unique and brilliant entertainer and his presentations are a quantum leap forward in the art of magic and illusions. His deserved recognition as ‘International magician of the year’ underlines his technical & creative excellence and the respect his performances receive internationally.
ABOUT LEVANTE
Leslie George “Les” Vante Cole, known professionally by the stage names “Levant”, “Levante”, “The Great Levante” and Magician Cole (5 March 1892 – 20 January 1978), was an Australian illusionist. He is regarded as one of the greatest magicians in the world and “Australia’s most famous magician”
Cole was already involved in magic in as early as 1907, when he founded what is now the fourth oldest magical society in the world, the Australian Society of Magicians Incorporated.
Once for publicity, a fully shackled Cole jumped from the Princess Bridge into the Yarra River, a greater feat than fellow magician Harry Houdini who had performed a similar stunt off the Queens Bridge in 1910.
In 1927, the Cole family, a trio composing of Cole, his wife Gladys Costin and daughter Esme (acting as assistants for Cole), toured the globe. During which they travelled out of Australia to the Philippines, Malaya (now split into Malaysia and Singapore), Borneo, India, Russia, China, Japan and England. The world tour, which was Cole’s first, lasted till 1940.
While in England, he came up with the idea for a magic show which would have comedic elements, singers and animals. It was to be known as ‘How’s Tricks’ and it had a cast of forty.
In 1939, the International Brotherhood of Magicians elected him as the world’s number one magician.
He returned to Australia in November 1940, entertaining army troops in Queensland and settling in New South Wales. A financial member of the Variety Artists’ Federation of Great Britain, he continued to actively tour and in 1954, he visited South America. Cole officially retired in 1977.
In recognition of his contributions to magic, the Academy of Magical Arts awarded him the Performing Fellowship and the Masters Fellowship.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE GREAT LEVANTE CLICK THIS LINK:
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cole-leslie-george-les-9782
