Phyllis Maria (McDonald) Byrdwell is the Minister of Music at Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Seattle and has served with her husband for 48 years. She directs the University of Washington’s Gospel Choir which she has done for 17+ years. She recently retired from the Lakeside School in Seattle where she served as a music educator for 31 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music, a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and a Master of Arts in Music Education from the University of Washington.
Mrs. Byrdwell has served as adjudicator and has led several seminar workshops on Gospel music at the state and national level. She was inducted in the Washington Music Educators Association’s Hall of Fame in 2002. She served as one of the music directors for an International religious conference in Birmingham, England in 2005. She served on the Board of Directors for the Seattle Symphony for six years and is now a Lifetime Director for the organization. She was honored as a Gospel Music Legend by Seattle Pacific University in 2009.
Mrs. Byrdwell is married to Rev. Frank M. Byrdwell. They have two sons( Fred and Frank) and two grandchildren (ashaun and Janessa).
