IGNIS is the newest premier fellowship woodwind quintet of the University of Maryland School of Music. They are dedicated to creating electrifying performances to amplify the voices of underrepresented composers in the western music world. Through collaborative efforts in community engagement and outreach, recording, premiering new works and utilizing modern technology in tandem with traditional performance principles, Ignis aims to push the boundaries of chamber music beyond the standard classical canon. It's members have attended top universities and conservatories in America such as the Juilliard School, Colburn Conservatory, Lynn Conservatory, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, New England Conservatory, and Shenandoah Conservatory. Ignis’ members are devoted to bringing the highest standards of musical excellence to the DC metropolitan area and beyond.
Flutist Lisa Choi completed her Bachelor of Music Degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Jeffrey Khaner and Master of Music Degree at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music under Demarre McGill. Ms. Choi has contributed her talent to many ensembles at Juilliard, performing in the Juilliard Orchestra,
Chamber Orchestra, Opera, Wind Orchestra, and ChamberFest. 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. She also won
first prize in Columbia Orchestra Young Artist Competition in Maryland and played Mozart Flute
Concerto in D Major, K.314 with the Columbia Orchestra (MD) as a soloist in 2013. Conducted by Dr.
Harlan Parker, Ms. Choi had played the Carmen Fantasy as soloist with the Centennial HIgh School
Band at the Midwest Orchestra/Band Clinic in Chicago. In the 2018 Juilliard Opera production of “The
Merry Wives of Windsor”, Ms. Choi was featured as the on-stage solo piccolo. Before her college
years, she performed as a soloist with Peabody Youth Wind Orchestra, Maryland Howard County
Gifted and Talented Orchestra, Centennial High School. Ms. Choi played Prokofiev’s “Peter and the
Wolf” on stage with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2012. Her past summers were spent at the
Aspen Music Festival and the National Orchestral Institute. She will be starting her Doctorate of Music
Program at University of Maryland this fall.
Born in South Korea and raised in Ellicott City, Maryland, Ms. Choi began her musical studies on the
piano at the age of seven. She began studying the flute at the age of ten. Ms. Choi was at Peabody
Preparatory from 2009-2016 studying under Rachel Choe, and she participated in Peabody Youth
Orchestra from 2010-2016.
Kyle Glasgow is back at the University of Maryland for a master's degree in clarinet performance, having just earned his bachelor's from the same institution. Along with serving as the clarinetist of Ignis, Glasgow aims to continue premiering new music with the goal of amplifying the voices of underrepresented composers in the western classical music world. He has a particular interest in modern recording and audio engineering/production as well as deep-dive studies into musical interpretation. Through collaborative efforts in community engagement and outreach, recording and utilizing modern technology in tandem with traditional performance principles, Glasgow aims to push both the boundaries of chamber music and classical clarinet beyond the standard classical canon. He has a multifaceted musical skill set with additional skills in clarinet repair, reed making, conducting and aural skills. Specializing in the E-flat 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. He teaches a private studio of clarinetists of all ages in the DMV area, and he serves as the co-conductor of the New Horizons Clarinet Choir and as a clarinetist for the Polka Terps. He continues to study with Professor Robert DiLutis at the University of Maryland as well as with several other clarinetists in the region.
Nathaniel Wolff is a versatile oboist and educator based in College Park, Maryland. He is pursuing a master’s degree in oboe performance with Professor Mark Hill at the University of Maryland. Prior to attending Maryland, Wolff earned a bachelor’s degree in oboe performance studying with Nancy Ambrose King at the University of Michigan, where he graduated summa cum laude. He has received additional instruction from Eric Ohlssohn, Emily Brebach, Jamie Roberts, Robert Stephenson, Elizabeth Koch Tiscione and Kim Lorch. In masterclass settings, he has performed for Andrew Parker, Katherine Needleman, Anna Hendrickson, Aaron Hill and Christian Schmitt. As an advocate for new music, Wolff has participated in several world premieres at venues like the Brevard Music Center and the Midwest Composer’s Symposium. As an educator, he has experience teaching privately and as a tutor in the MStars music tutoring program sponsored by the University of Michigan to provide music education to underserved middle school students. In past summers, Wolff has studied at the Brevard Music Center, the National Symphony’s Summer Music Institute and Sewanee Summer Music Festival.
Molly is a member of the Ignis fellowship quintet and a DMA candidate at the University of Maryland studying under Greg Miller. 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 also participated in the London premiere of Jonathan Dove’s “The Monster in the Maze,” a joint commission by the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, and the Aix en Provence festival for professional, conservatory, and amateur orchestra and choir. She has participated in a number of summer music festival, including the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, a summer opera academy where she performed as a member of the orchestra. 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 is a DC-based musician and the bassoonist of Ignis. Starting his chamber career in high school, he performed with the Paramount Wind Quintet, a professional nonprofit group touring venues in Northern Virginia. As an orchestral player, Whitacre has performed at Chicago Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Adrienne Arsht Center and the Blossom Music Center. Whitacre has appeared with the Atlantic Symphony and Philharmonia Boston, and has also toured the Dominican Republic with the MIT Wind Ensemble. In a masterclass setting, Whitacre has performed for Frank Morelli, George Sakakeeny, Christopher Weait and Ryan Romine. In the past, he has attended the Miami Music Festival, where he was an opera fellow. He has also been a young artist at the Kent Blossom Music Festival, where he performed side-by-side with the Cleveland Orchestra. 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 currently is a student at the University of Maryland under the tutelage of Lecturer 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.
