Composed in 2017 during her residency as a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan, Ari Ari is a carillon work that merges traditional Korean folksongs and rhythmic patterns—especially those from the Gangwon region—with the expressive sonic possibilities of the carillon. Inspired by the majestic resonance of the Charles Baird Carillon housed in the Burton Memorial Tower, and particularly its twelve-ton bourdon bell, the piece explores a dynamic and meditative interplay between cultural roots and spatial sound.

Commissioned and premiered by carillonist Tiffany Ng at the Canberra International Carillon Festival in 2018, Ari Ari was later featured at the Rockefeller Carillon New Music Festival in Chicago, which presented 41 works by 21st-century composers, including 16 world premières. Since then, the piece has been performed internationally by carillonneurs around the world.

The thematic material of Ari Ari was later expanded into Woo's large-scale cantata Dancing of the Moon (2018), commissioned by the National Chorus of Korea and orchestra, transforming the original folk elements into a rich and immersive choral-symphonic landscape.

Ari Ari also exists in transpositions using low B♭ or low A. Those interested in obtaining the music in either of both of those keys should feel free to request a PDF file of it from HyoWon.

—HyoWon Woo