Sarah Koo Freeman Receives Unit 18 Faculty Professional Development Award
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Left to right: Harotune Bedelian, Lorna Griffitt, Geoffrey Pope, Nicole Grimes, Sarah Koo Freeman and Nina Scolnik as guests at Trinity College and the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, Ireland.
The recognition supports U18 faculty in advancing Koo Freeman’s professional and pedagogical work
UC Irvine and the University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) have announced Sarah Koo Freeman as a recipient of the Unit 18 Faculty Professional Development Award for the 2025-26 academic year. The award supports U18 faculty in enhancing their professional and pedagogical effectiveness and is available annually. Koo Freeman, the cello and chamber lecturer in the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Music, was recognized for her participation in an international conference and collaborative symposium in Dublin.
"I am deeply honored to receive the Unit 18 Faculty Professional Development Award, which helped support my participation in The Expansive Canvas: Large-Scale Form in the Music of 19th-Century Women Composers, an international conference and collaborative symposium in Dublin," said Koo Freeman. "This project brought together esteemed colleagues from UC Irvine — Lorna Griffitt, Geoffrey Pope and Haroutune Bedelian — as well as internationally renowned artists Levon Chilingirian and Aisling Kenny, to explore and perform works that highlight the depth and significance of this repertoire. It was especially meaningful to represent UCI on an international stage and to reconnect with colleagues from UCI's broader artistic network."
Cellist Sarah Koo Freeman is known for her solo and chamber performances as well as her work as an educator and outreach advocate. She holds a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where she received the William Schumann Award.
Beyond the concert hall, Koo Freeman is a dedicated advocate for education and community engagement. She has organized performances benefiting communities affected by the Los Angeles fires and raising funds for cancer research, demonstrating her belief in music as a vehicle for healing and connection
To learn more about the UC Irvine Department of Music, visit arts.uci.edu/music.
