Florence Birdwell, former professor of voice, died in Yukon, Oklahoma on Feb. 15, 2021. She spent 67 years as a voice teacher on campus, from 1976 to 2013.
Birdwell’s nearly seven decades on faculty brought her hundreds of students, including notable alumni such as Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth and Kelli O’Hara, Tony nominee Lara Teeter and Miss America 1981 Susan Powell.
Angela Polk, OCU alumna, studied with Birdwell for six years through undergrad and masters from 2002 to 2008. She said the key to Birdwell’s success with her students was unwavering honesty.
“Florence was always honest, plain and simple, and it worked for so many of her students because we needed to hear it,” Polk said. “At that time in your life, all you’re wanting from a mentor is someone to tell you the truth, good or bad. She wasn’t afraid to speak from the heart.”
She said she would not have had the career she did if not for the mentorship of Birdwell.
“I don’t believe that the career I had or have had since would have happened without her constantly in my ear,” Polk said. “Supporting me, pushing me, fighting for me, she was always there to lift me up and tear me down when I needed it.”
Polk said Birdwell’s pride for her students was a driving force in their relationship with her.
“You never wanted to disappoint her. So, you worked so hard just to have that one connection, that moment with her where the pride was just so apparent,” Polk said.
Polk said her relationship with Birdwell continued years after graduation, and Birdwell continued to be a staple of guidance in her life.
“In New York, I would call her to check in whenever I could. When I was back in Oklahoma, I would go to see her and just touch base on life and where I was and how I was doing,” Polk said. “Florence became family. You get to a point where you’ve passed the student relationship. She’ll always be your mentor, but my relationship with Florence became more family.”
Polk said Birdwell’s ability to work at such a high level for so long is an astonishing accomplishment and a reflection of her passion.
“It’s incredible that a woman could teach for that long and have so much passion her entire life. She never stopped believing in what she was teaching or in who she was and what she offered. I think a mentor like that is so hard to find,” Polk said.
Polk said many of Birdwell’s former students had a Zoom call shortly after her death and discussed the shared adoration they have for her.
“Just to see and hear the stories and the fun times, and the times we were in her office crying,” Polk said. “All of that was so impactful to the people that we are now. She was an incredible human being, a lifeforce for sure.”
Christin Byrdsong, OCU alumnus, studied with Birdwell from 2009 to 2013 and was a member of Birdwell’s final class before retirement. He said he came to Birdwell with insecurities, which Birdwell helped him navigate.
“Birdwell literally saved my life. She saw things in me, and she put a mirror in front of me and called out my flaws but held my hand while she helped me rebuild myself,” Byrdsong said. “She helped prepare me for what it would be like to be a Black man in music theater, which is something no one else had done.”
Byrdsong said Birdwell’s honesty about the institutional racism and biases in the theater industry helped prepare Byrdsong and affirm what he already knew.
“One lesson particularly, she stopped me in a song that we were going over, and she leaned forward in her chair and she said, ‘frankly because of the color of your skin, you’re going to have to work twice as hard as everyone else,’” Byrdsong said. “That is something I have heard my entire life, but never from someone who didn’t look like me.”
Byrdsong said Birdwell planned to retire in 2013 years in advance, taking Byrdsong into her final freshman class in the fall semester of 2009.
“She always said, ‘leave them wanting more.’ I think she could have gone on. She was getting older, but she never missed a beat when it came to the voice,” Byrdsong said. “She knew when I wasn’t supporting before I did. There were some lessons where I didn’t even get a note out before she stopped me and said ‘nope, start again.’ And sometimes she would do that 10 or 20 times before I could start singing.”
Going into retirement, Byrdsong said Birdwell continued teaching private voice to a few students after retirement, including Kelly Jarrell, former backup singer for James Brown.
Byrdsong said he continued a relationship with Birdwell long after her retirement, and into his career as a theater professional.
“I would go to her place and sing. I would sneak her bottles of wine sometimes, and we would sit and talk for hours, and she would give me lessons, even when I didn’t want them,” Byrdsong said. “One memory I have is when ‘The Butler’ came out, she called me and said, ‘there’s a new movie I want to see, and I don’t want to see it with anyone else than you.’ We were very close.”
Byrdsong said Birdwell left a large legacy of honesty and the impact honesty made on her students.
“Her legacy is understanding that if the words we speak don’t mean anything, then what’s the point of speaking, let alone singing,” Byrdsong said. “Her legacy is the honesty in words, the beauty of communication, and I think that’s what enabled her to see people and see life so clearly.”
Byrdsong said Birdwell was a powerful mentor and a fierce friend who will be greatly missed.
“She could tell a joke and be laughing hysterically and in a split second get very serious and say ‘you see how the words I said made you laugh, and the importance of laughter and joy,’” Byrdsong said. “Her legacy is many things, but I would definitely say it is the honesty and power and importance of meaning what we say.”
My first vocal teacher in high school was one of her students. I ended up going to OCU and was curious to meet or talk to her. One of my music juries included a review of her only able to comment how I’d worn pants (they were black dress pants with a blouse) instead of a proper skirt or dress. No musical comment whatsoever. Offensively gutting and unhelpful. Honest yes, but nothing musically helpful.