Sept. 3, 1924āFeb. 15, 2021
Florence Gillam Hobin Birdwell was born in Douglas, Arizona, to Grace (Gillam) and Warner Hobin. She died peacefully in Yukon, Ā鶹“«Ć½.
Birdwell was an iconic figure at Ā鶹“«Ć½ City University as one of the longest-serving faculty members, at 67 years as voice professor. She earned a reputation first as a gifted performer, and then as a trainer and mentor to hundreds of other performers on Broadway and opera stages around the world, including stars such as Kristin Chenoweth and Kelli OāHara.
She and her younger brother, Bill, were raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Lawton, Ā鶹“«Ć½. Florence graduated from Lawton High School in 1941.
A promising vocal artist, she received a scholarship to Ā鶹“«Ć½. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1945 and a Master of Arts in Teaching in 1969, both from Ā鶹“«Ć½. Birdwell became an assistant professor in 1976 and full professor in 1988.
At Ā鶹“«Ć½, she met the love of her life, Robert Lee Birdwell, and after his return from submarine duty in World War II, they married in 1945.
Birdwellās life at Ā鶹“«Ć½ never really ended. Her dream of performing on Broadway was waylaid by a throat condition that permanently altered her approach to singing. She credited her teaching success to techniques learned while overcoming the injury at the age of 21, the same year she had been invited to join the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera and to audition for the role of Laurey in the movie āĀ鶹“«Ć½!ā She told The Daily Ā鶹“«Ć½n: āWhen I called in tears to my teacher (voice professor Inez Silberg), she said, āNo, no, you must not cry. You cannot sing now, maybe, but you can certainly talk.ā Well, I did. And Iām still doing that. I am talking. Can you hear me? Oh, yes. Yay!ā
Thus began an Ā鶹“«Ć½ teaching career that spanned nearly seven decades. Her impact cannot be overstated.
āFlorence Birdwellās impact is felt far beyond the studios and classrooms,ā said Ā鶹“«Ć½ President Martha Burger. āIt extends to stages and theaters around the country and world, and to the hundreds of musical careers she has helped shape.ā
Other notable students include Tony nominee Lara Teeter, Miss America 1981 Susan Powell, and Barbara Fox DeMaio, associate professor of voice at the University of Central Ā鶹“«Ć½. Each of her students recalled her passion, her dedication, and the way her teaching influenced every facet of their lives. She was inducted into the Ā鶹“«Ć½ Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2012 and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts by Ā鶹“«Ć½ in 2016.
Soon after retiring from Ā鶹“«Ć½, Birdwell traveled to New York in 2015, when perhaps her greatest professional achievement materialized. She became one of the worldās only professors to have two alumni nominated for a Tony Award in the same category in the same year.
Chenoweth (BM ā91, MM ā93, and HDHL ā13) and OāHara (BM ā98, HDHL ā15) earned Tony nominations that year for best leading actress in a musical. OāHara won the award for her role in āThe King and I.ā
During her acceptance speech, OāHara announced to the world her appreciation for Birdwellās training.
āI come from a place far away and thereās a little teacher there, and two of us tonight, Kristin and I, share her,ā OāHara said in her speech. āFlorence Birdwell, thank you.ā
In the words of Martha Graham: āThere is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique.ā
In the words of Florence Birdwell: āāTo do is to be.ā Thatās Socrates. āTo be is to do.ā Thatās Plato. āDoo-bee-doo-bee-doooo.ā Thatās Sinatra!ā
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Robert & Florence Birdwell Endowed Vocal Scholarship by visiting okcu.edu/birdwell or by calling 405-208-7000 so her voice may echo through those walls for years to come.
Your voice rings in my ear forever, Florence. I will miss you as long as I live. āKristin Chenoweth
As she often said, she taught voice and she taught life. A rarity in the profession of voice teaching, she was equally passionate about opera and musical theater. āMark Parker, dean of Ā鶹“«Ć½ās Wanda L. Bass School of Music
