Matteo Cammisa performs in Chicago as a magician and mentalist for corporate events, private parties, weddings and luxury celebrations — close-up magic at conversational distance, with no stage, no sound and nothing required from the room.
Chicago hosts events with a particular temperament: rooms full of people who work in trading, law, medicine and manufacturing, who are hospitable and hard-headed in equal measure, and who have absolutely no intention of being impressed on cue. It is one of the best audiences in America precisely because it refuses to be an easy one.
That is the room close-up magic was built for. Nothing is announced, nobody is asked to stop talking, and the first thing a sceptical guest sees is something impossible happening in their own hands — not on a stage at a safe distance. The scepticism is not an obstacle; it is the material.
The venues run from private dining rooms in the Loop and West Loop to lakefront clubs, Gold Coast homes and River North rooftops. Almost none of them accommodate a stage, a sound system or a lighting rig, and none of them need to: the performance needs a room with people in it, nothing more.
Chicago private events also skew seated — dinners rather than standing receptions — which suits table-to-table work between courses: ten guests at a time, nothing taken from the evening's own rhythm.
Matteo moves through the room during drinks or dinner and performs for small groups at a time. No stage, no microphone, no soundcheck — the whole show happens at arm's length. Typically booked from 30 minutes to two hours, sized to the cocktail hour or the dinner it covers.
From $2,500
A seated, focused piece for the full room, built around thought, choice and influence rather than props. Runs 20 to 30 minutes and works as the pivot between dinner and the rest of the evening.
From $3,000
A full theatrical set for a seated audience, with close-up work projected live to screen where the room is large enough to need it.
On request
Chicago has a genuinely deep local performer bench — that should be said plainly. What is on offer here is different: an international practice with an internationally verified record, for evenings where the guest list expects exactly that.
Chicago corporate events and Chicago private events are both served by the same practical advantage: nothing arrives, nothing is set up, nothing can fail. The booking adds zero minutes to any production schedule.
Matteo performs in English, Italian and Hungarian — on an international guest list, the difference between everyone being included and half the room watching politely.
Matteo Cammisa is a member of The Magic Circle in London, of FISM — the international federation of magic societies — and of the Society of American Magicians. Twenty years of performing, more than 500 events, over 30 countries.
Watch — Matteo Cammisa X Million — live at a private celebrity event
@matteo_cammisa
No honest performer can hand themselves that title — Chicago has a deep local bench and several genuinely excellent residents. What can be checked is the record: Matteo Cammisa is a member of The Magic Circle in London, of FISM and of the Society of American Magicians, with more than 500 events performed across over 30 countries, a three-season residency at Kiki on the River in Miami, and corporate clients including Heineken USA. For a premium Chicago corporate or private event, weigh that record against any shortlist rather than taking anyone's word for the superlative.
From $2,500, quoted per event rather than per hour. The Chicago local market quotes below that, and the difference is in what is being booked rather than room to negotiate. The figure moves with the length of the evening and the format more than with guest count.
Corporate events — client evenings, awards dinners, company celebrations — private parties, weddings and luxury celebrations across Chicago and the North Shore. The common thread is the room, not the occasion: guests who have seen plenty of entertainment and are hard to genuinely surprise.
Nothing. No stage, no microphone, no lighting change, no power, no changeover. A private dining room in the West Loop, a lakefront club or a home in Lake Forest are all exactly as easy as a ballroom — which is the point of the format.
Almost everything except the word. A party magician performs a set: the same routine, in the same order, whoever is in the room. What Matteo does is closer to hosting — the material is chosen live for the people in front of him, it is built to be photographed, and it is timed around your evening rather than interrupting it. The practical difference shows up in the details: how he dresses, how he works with your planner, whether he needs anything from the venue, and what the room sounds like ten minutes after he leaves.
Bookings start from $2,500. The figure moves with the format, the length of the evening, the number of guests and where in the world the event is. Fees are quoted per event rather than per hour, because what you are booking is presence across a window of the evening, not a block of stage time. Tell Matteo the date, the city and roughly how many guests, and you will have a firm figure within 24 hours.
Yes — Matteo Cammisa performs worldwide, year-round, and has done so at more than 500 events across over 30 countries. Wherever the event is, send the date, the city and roughly how many guests, and you will have availability and a firm figure within 24 hours. Where travel applies, it is quoted separately and transparently.
Send the date, the city and roughly how many guests. You will have availability and a firm figure within 24 hours.
Prefer to message directly? WhatsApp · management@matteocammisa.com
