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- Florence Jepperson Madsen (December 15, 1886 – April 8, 1977) was an American contralto singer, vocal instructor, and professor of music. She served as the head of the music department of Brigham Young University (BYU) for ten years. She was born in Provo, Utah into an artistically-inclined family, learning to sing and play instruments at a young age. After receiving a degree in music from Brigham Young University, Madsen lived in Boston, Massachusetts, for many years, attending the New England Conservatory of Music, receiving private vocal lessons, teaching music, and performing at various prestigious venues. She accepted an offer to teach at BYU, soon began directing choirs herself, and was then selected as the head of BYU's Department of Music and had a lasting influence upon the institution; she directed multiple music programs, helped establish new choirs, and wrote articles asserting the value of music. Madsen received a master's degree in music from the Chicago Musical College, as well as honorary doctorate degrees from the Chicago and Boguslawski colleges of music. In 1941, she was appointed a member of the General Board of the Relief Society, the women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her responsibilities included overseeing the development of new music for the Relief Society, traveling to visit local chapters of the organization, and directing women's choirs such as the "Singing Mothers." Madsen was also a composer, and created more than 100 musical arrangements during her lifetime. In 1952, she was made a professor emeritus after 44 total years at BYU. She died in 1977 at the age of 90. As of 2021 a recital room in the Harris Fine Arts Center on BYU's campus bears her name. (en)
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