College of Music announces $1.65 million gift to establish Stella Cottrell Chamber Music Hall and Graduate Fellowship
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The FSU College of Music celebrates a $1.65 million commitment from Raymond Cottrell (B.S. ’69), a longtime supporter and member of the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees, to establish the Stella Cottrell Chamber Music Hall in the planned Housewright Renovation and Expansion and the Stella Cottrell Graduate Fellowship in Sacred Music.
Stella Cottrell (B.A. ’71), an accomplished musician and dedicated alumna, started her impressive path in music at a young age. Playing piano and organ, her musicianship grew through her studies at FSU, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and a minor in music. Highlights of her career included performing in some of Europe’s finest cathedrals and at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT. Stella also was an active member of the FSU community, serving on multiple university boards and earning the prestigious Circle of Gold Award in 2015. She is remembered by many for her beautiful piano rendition of Hymn to the Garnet and Gold.
“Stella was the rockstar of the family, and doing this is all because of Stella and how wonderful and talented she was,” Cotrell said about his wife. “She had three separate lives—she had one at Disney, one at church and one at FSU. She did a lot in all three areas and did the work of three people. She was an amazing person, and I just wanted to say, ‘thank you.’”
The Stella Cottrell Chamber Music Hall will be a premier space for teaching, rehearsals and performances, while serving as a lasting tribute to Stella Cottrell. The Stella Cottrell Graduate Fellowship in Sacred Music will provide financial support to talented graduate students in organ performance, helping them gain valuable professional and academic opportunities.
“We are grateful to Raymond for this incredible gift in Stella’s memory,” said Todd Queen, dean of the FSU College of Music. “The Stella Cottrell Chamber Music Hall will be used both as a classroom and performance hall to the great benefit of our students, faculty and the Tallahassee arts community. The Stella Cottrell Graduate Fellowship in Sacred Music will also be a boon to recruit top talent while elevating our presence in sacred music nationally and internationally.”
The College of Music will formally recognize this historic gift at a special event later this year.
