Читать книгу Your Vote Is Magic! - Lyn Inc. Dillies - Страница 7

Thinking is not to agree or disagree. That is voting.

Robert Frost

It’s taken almost a lifetime to attain the success for which I’ve strived. I’ve had the privilege of working with many celebrities, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Crystal Gayle, Jeff Dunham, and Richard Jeni, to name a few. I’ve had the good fortune of appearing on Fox-TV News, CBS-TV News, The Discovery Channel, and The Statler Brothers Show. I’m very humbled to have played some of the most prestigious venues in the country, including The Magic Castle, The Belk Center, The Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts, The Ford Center for the Arts, The United Nations, The Showboat Hotel, Trump Plaza, and The Manhattan Center. I’ve made magic history twice for my work with elephants, and have appeared nationally in a print ad. I have to say, however, that of all the exciting things I’ve accomplished in my career, I am most proud of my “Magic At The Symphony” program.

I inherited my deep love and appreciation of classical music from my grandfather, Kenneth Park, a professional violinist and music director of the New Bedford public school system. He also taught private lessons and, much to his delight, taught me how to play the violin. I can still remember how exciting it was to watch my grandfather play first violin under the baton of Arthur Fiedler, the legendary conductor of the Boston Pops. But one of my most cherished memories of him are the times we played duets. Every Christmas Eve, he and I would play carols on our violins for the rest of the family.

Every day after school, I would stay at my grandparents’ home while waiting for my mother to pick me up after work. I would be surrounded by such beautiful classical music played by my grandfather as he was practicing. Inspired by those memories, I created a unique program that combines my magic with a live, full symphony orchestra. The symphony is onstage behind me playing classical music for my illusions. It’s an exhilarating, breathtaking concert that brings the music to life with my magic. The magic enhances the music and the music enhances the magic. It’s a wonderful way for symphonies to introduce classical music to new audiences, particularly children.

Lyn and her grandfather, Kenneth Park, playing a Christmas duet together. Lyn’s father, Calvin, is in background “conducting” and cousin, Martha holds the Christmas carol book.

Creating “Magic At The Symphony” took countless hours of listening to the various selections of classical music to decide which piece to use for what illusion. I wanted every crescendo of the music to coincide with every dramatic moment of the illusion. I also wanted to integrate the conductor into the show, so I conjured up an illusion at the beginning of the program to magically make him appear. He also learns a magic trick during the presentation.

After my symphony manager Robert Gewald and I marketed the concept to various orchestras, we had no idea where we’d have our first booking. It was a novel idea and sometimes symphonies are very hesitant to try anything new. Personally, I thought our first engagement would be with a small regional symphony.

The answer to that question took almost a full year of waiting. Well, one day in the summer of 1999, on my birthday, I was with one of my best friends in NYC visiting her daughter. She asked me what was going on with the “symphony project.” I told her we were so frustrated because it hadn’t gotten off the ground yet. Later that afternoon, Mr. Gewald called and told me we were going to premier “Magic At The Symphony” at Lincoln Center in New York City!

And there I was in New York City receiving the news! I arranged to see the stage at Avery Fisher Hall the next day. It was a gorgeous hall and the acoustics were impeccable. My legs were shaking as I walked onto the stage. The hall seats three thousand people.

My father arranged a bus for sixty family members, friends and fans to attend the premier. It was a sold-out house. Knowing how proud my parents were sitting in the audience was one of the most memorable moments of my career.

“Magic At The Symphony” has now appeared with some of the most prominent symphonies in the country, including the Utah Symphony, San Diego Symphony and Virginia Symphony. We currently have an engagement pending with the Boston Pops. One of my next projects is to turn “Magic At The Symphony” into a television special, to educate children about classical music and the symphony as well, utilizing my magic as the visual hook. Stay tuned . . .

1999: New York City. Lyn and her proud parents, Calvin and Loretta after her performance at Lincoln Center.

A poster of a performance with the Wichita Symphony.