Individual Members
We are a colorful bunch of personalities
Lisa Choi
Lisa Choi completed her Bachelor of Music Degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Jeffrey Khaner, and her Master of Music Degree at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music under Demarre McGill. Recently, Ms. Choi was one of the six finalists at the 2019 New York Flute Club Competition and one of the eight finalists at the 2021 Philadelphia Society of Greater Philadelphia. Ms. Choi marked her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 by winning Second Prize at American Protégé International Concerto Competition performing Carmen Fantasy for Flute. She also made her Kennedy Center debut in 2013 by winning Third Prize at the Asian American Music Society performing Loeillet’s Trio-sonate in F Major. In 2016, she performed in Carnegie Hall again as the first prize winner at the Vivo International Music Competition. Her past summers were spent at the Aspen Music Festival and the National Orchestral Institute. She is pursuing a DMA at the University of Maryland.
Nathaniel Wolff
Nathaniel Wolff believes in the power of music to forge meaningful connections and build community. He is currently the oboist for the woodwind quintet IGNIS, a group dedicated to bold performance and meaningful community outreach. As a member of IGNIS, Nathaniel was awarded an M-Cubator grant to commission a work for wind quintet and electronics by emerging composer Ancel Neely. He has also premiered chamber works by composers like Adrian Wong, Pauline Ng, Pranav Sivakumar and William Kenlon at venues like the Brevard Music Center and the Midwest Composer’s Symposium. Nathaniel has spent his summers at venues like the Sarasota Music Festival and Bowdoin International Music Festival as a fellow. Nathaniel earned his bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan studying with Nancy Ambrose King and his master’s degree from the University of Maryland, where he served as a wind quintet fellow, studying with Mark Hill.
Kyle Glasgow
Kyle Glasgow is a clarinetist, teacher, and audio technician based in the DMV area. Serving as both the clarinetist and primary administrator for IGNIS, Kyle aims to popularize and make wind quintet more accessible. Through collaborative efforts in community engagement and outreach, and with a particular interest in the crosssection between modern recording and production and chamber music, Kyle aims to push both the boundaries of chamber music and classical clarinet beyond the standard canon. He has a multifaceted skill set with additional skills in clarinet repair, reed making, conducting, and audio production. Specializing in the Eb Clarinet, he is an experienced auxiliary clarinetist and can be heard on several reference recordings for the Naxos musical database. Kyle has performed in clinics and masterclasses around the world including the Princess of Asturias program in Spain, ClarinetFest in Ostend Belgium, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts, among others. He teaches a private studio of all ages both near the DMV and across the east coast. A flexible musician with skill in multiple styles, Kyle also enjoys playing in the Polka Terps polka band and the Machaya klezmer band. He holds both a B.M and M.M in clarinet performance from the University of Maryland School of Music. Kyle is a student of Robert DiLutis.
Molly Flanagan
Molly Flanagan is a member of the IGNIS, a DMA candidate at the University of Maryland, and the newly-appointed 3rd Horn of the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra. She holds degrees and certificates from Boston University, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Lynn University. As a Guildhall student, she was featured with her chamber group The Eolienne Quintet and other Guildhall chamber ensembles on BBC’s radio 3 as part of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s “Total Immersion” program. She and members of the Supernova Woodwind sextet (2015) won the Ivan Sutton award for chamber groups with piano sponsored by Guildhall, the City Music Society, and the City of London Corporation as part of an annual competition. She currently teaches and freelances, including performances as a substitute musician with the Jacksonville Symphony, the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and the Florida Grand Opera.
Christian Whitacre
Christian Whitacre is an NYC-based musician and the bassoonist of IGNIS. As an orchestral player, Whitacre has performed at Chicago Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Adrienne Arsht Center and the Blossom Music Center, performing with groups like the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra and the Harrisburg Symphony. Whitacre has appeared with the Atlantic Symphony and Philharmonia Boston, and has also toured the Dominican Republic with the MIT Wind Ensemble. Passionate about modern music and pushing the boundaries of the classical music world, Whitacre has attended the inaugural year of the Mostly Modern Festival, playing principal with the American Modern Orchestra where he was a soloist in the North American continental premiere of Mirror II by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen. He has also performed the world premiere of Ready Five for bassoon and electronics. Whitacre completed his master’s degree at the University of Maryland, under the tutelage of Joseph Grimmer. Holding a degree from the New England Conservatory, Whitacre studied under principal bassoonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Richard Svoboda. Additionally, his teachers include William Winstead, Barrick Stees and Charles McCracken.