George M. Martynuk Inc. (GMM Inc.) successfully completes its fifth year in the classical music business as an innovative artists management firm that offers both worldwide public relations and personal management for classical artists.

Its principal, George Martynuk, was well prepared for this venture after many years with Herbert H. Breslin, Inc., where he represented such important artists as baritones Leo Nucci and Thomas Hampson, basses James Morris and Paul Plishka, tenors Jerry Hadley and Chris Merritt, conductors James Conlon and Jesus Lopez-Cobos, and flutist James Galway.

Point of View: George on singers' "packaging" for today's visually-oriented audiences

(Published in Classical Singer, Vol. 12, No. 1, January 1999)

"There are many major-league singers singing leading roles in major houses who lack even the slightest idea about appearance, refinement and dress. Their "packaging" is in need of an overhaul!

The world of opera is entertainment and large, heavy, whatever! ... The point is that you can get up onstage with the right outfit, and it can help to an amazing degree. I'ts gratifying when designers can do that for you, but many designers won't if you're simply too heavy.

We've heard often enough: "I'm sorry, but we're not in the upholstery business." They can get very touchy, and many are clearly 1not fit for the world of opera. In Hollywood, you're probably at the club with a personal trainer -- yes, you had better be in great shape!

The problem comes in with today's public. They are visually-oriented. They watch movies, television, and read fashion magazines, and when they show up at the opera, they're shocked! Sometimes they just get plain angry at what they see. That's become a very serious issue in opera.

And that means that many opera houses have turned their attention to the tastes of the public and have told us, "You can't do this anymore!" We've been told in very specific terms that "we will not hire over-heavy singers to play young romantic leads, because our public is telling us -- 'Yes, we're paying these prices, which are very steep in opera.' It' a very expensive entertainment. The public really expects to see something along the lines of a "package": Look the part; sound the part; act the part.

Today your attitude cannot be: "Well, I've got the voice from God!" You've got to look and sound credible and be able to act and develop a character, a convincing persona onstage.

The public is less forgiving these days. They are more aggressive and vocal about it. They expect to see more realistic productions, and those singers that are over-heavy face a difficult challenge to slim down. They get that from directors, conductors -- who are themselves under similar pressure.

Most opera is not comic, but when audiences laugh in certain places that should be tragic, producers have fits and start making demands on singers. It's not easy. I know how hard it is -- I've been trying to lose a simple 20 pounds for years. And sometimes someone has a huge amount of weight to lose, and I empathize greatly.

Today's young singers should try to negate their physical problems. After all, it's to your own benefit to do so. Put on an outfit or pants or something, even a gown that is cut and colored and shaded in such a way that the illusion is created. That's our business: Creating illusion. We have to do that onstage and in real life. It will only serve you in your career.

Less is always more these days. No questions. Use taste! What does that mean? Elegance. Don't overdo it. If you don't know these things, then ask your management, and if they don't know, go to a consultant! There are opera image consultants, and they are specifically aimed at helping people present themselves in the best possible light. "Show and tell" people is what we are. We are entertainers. That's what it's all about.

The outstanding "packages" have been people like Kathleen Battle -- whatever bad turns her career has taken happened not due to the way she dressed and presented herself onstage. And there are others out there who look incredible.

Many have fought the weight problem -- Chris Merritt, for example, lost the equivalent of a "small person." He has kept it off and looks simply healthier and in control. Maria Guleghina looks fabulous; she was someone determined to work it out -- and she's done it. And what a voice! Deborah Voigt always looks fabulous. She walks out onstage with sophistication and grace, and not only delivers a fantastic voice, but a divine appearance. She knows how to present that package!

This is the most unfair business in the world. There is no fairness, so don't look for it. Be smarter and be more sophisticated. Use all your attributes when you're a singer. If you're going into auditions, don't go with a garish outfit or loud colors. No one wants to see that. Whatever happened to the little black dress? That's a classic outfit: a tux for women!"

George M. Martynuk Inc.
Public Relations & Artists Management
64 East 94th Street
New York, NY 10128