UNC Greensboro's 105-year-old School of Music is now the Constance Hughes Kotis School of Music, honoring a pianist, teacher and donor tied to the school since 1961.

UNC Greensboro’s School of Music now carries the name of Connie Kotis, a Greensboro pianist and music teacher who first arrived on campus as a student in 1961.

The university dedicated the Constance Hughes Kotis School of Music on Friday, Oct. 23. It announced the naming in a post on its giving site. The school was founded in 1921.

Who Connie Kotis is

Kotis came to what was then Woman’s College in 1961, before the school admitted men. The university said she:

  • earned two degrees there, in 1965 and 1977
  • was its first graduate with a master’s in piano accompaniment, now called the Master of Music in Collaborative Piano Performance
  • received an honorary doctorate in 2025
  • has accompanied the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Bel Canto Company and the Greensboro Opera Company
  • taught at Northeast High School and at the Greensboro Music Academy, now the Music Academy of North Carolina
  • was named Teacher of the Year by the North Carolina Music Teachers Association in 2016

“I missed the first 40 years of the School of Music, but I’ve been there for the past 65!” Kotis told the audience at the dedication, the university said.

The scholarship behind the name

Connie Kotis and her husband, Bill, have given to UNCG for four decades, the university said. Their most recent gift set up the Kotis Music Fund in Piano. It pays scholarships for piano majors who want careers in teaching piano. Eight students are Kotis Piano Scholars now.

The university did not give the size of the gift.

“Connie and Bill Kotis’s transformational gift to the School of Music will enable generations of talented pianists to come to UNCG to study with its renowned faculty,” said bruce mcclung, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Board of Trustees Chairman George Hoyle called Kotis “the School of Music’s most steadfast champion, serving as volunteer leader, advocate, donor, and trusted advisor.”

Kotis said the day was about others. “While my name may be a part of today’s celebration, this moment is not really about me,” she said. “It’s about the people who built this school, strengthened it, and continue to make it extraordinary every day.”

What it means for you

  • The school’s concerts, recitals and community music programs continue under the new name. Look for “Kotis School of Music” on UNCG event listings from now on.
  • Piano students thinking about a career in teaching can ask the school about the Kotis Piano Scholars program when they apply.
  • For more on music, theater and shows around the city, see our things to do in Greensboro page.