Liquid Music

Mary Prescott: Ancestral Table

Thu–Fri, Mar 19–20, 2026, 7 pm
Millwick, Los Angeles, CA
Co-produced by LA Phil and Liquid Music
Part of the Body and Sound Festival

Ancestral Table is a shared meal and interdisciplinary performance that examines relationships between ecology, migration, cultural inheritance, and maternal legacy through the recipes of composer Mary Prescott’s Thai mother. Ancestral Table audiences will experience an evening-length solo performance presented alongside a communal meal retracing the legacies of Prescott’s maternal ancestors and their pathways of migration as revealed through foodways. Legendary local chef Jazz Singsanong of Jitlada joins Prescott in preparing the evening’s meal.

This family-style meal will have vegetarian elements, but several dishes contain meat and/or shellfish. Courses throughout the meal will also contain eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, gluten/wheat, and soy.

Commissioned by LA Phil.

Body and Sound’s offsite programming is part of the LA Phil Insight initiative, generously supported by Linda and David Shaheen.

Mary Prescott is a Thai-American interdisciplinary artist, composer and pianist based in Minneapolis and New York City who explores the foundations and facets of identity and social conditions through experiential performance. She aims to foster understanding and create pathways for change by voicing emotional and human truths through artistic investigation and dissemination. 

Featured in “21 for ‘21: Composers and Performers Who Sound Like Tomorrow,” The Washington Post describes her work as “a bright light cast forward... uncompromising,” and “masterfully envisioned.” Prescott is an awardee of the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in Music; McKnight Composer Fellowship; the Princess Grace Award for Theater; the National Performance Network Creation and Development Fund; a National Performance Network Documentation and Storytelling Grant; a New Music USA Project Grant; an American Composers Forum Create Commission; The American Opera Project Composers and the Voice Fellowship; an Opera America New Works Forum Grant; a Puffin Foundation Grant; and several state and regional awards. She has been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Roulette Intermedium, The Great Northern Festival, The Schubert Club, Living Arts of Tulsa, Public Functionary, White Snake Projects, Chautauqua Opera, The American Opera Project, Piano Teachers Congress of NY, Shepherdess Duo, Metropolis Ensemble, and Duo Harmonia. She has held artist residencies with Loghaven, The Bogliasco Foundation, The Camargo Foundation, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Roulette Intermedium, Lanesboro Arts, Hudson Hall, Areté Venue and Gallery, Avaloch Farm Music Institute, The League of Independent Theater, Arts Letters and Numbers, and Chautauqua Opera. She has been a Mabou Mines SUITE/Space Artist, and a Harlem Stage WaterWorks Emerging Artist.

Mary currently sits on the board of the National Performance Network.

She holds piano performance degrees from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and Manhattan School of Music.

Mary Prescott is a Steinway Artist.

Chef Jazz Singsanong has become one of Los Angeles’ most beloved restaurateurs, celebrated for both her hospitality and her cooking. Under her leadership, Jitlada has earned national acclaim, from spots on Jonathan Gold’s “101 Best Restaurants” list to features in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and countless television programs. Awards aside, it’s Chef Jazz’s unmatched warmth that keeps guests coming back. She treats every diner like family, welcoming them with stories, laughter, and dishes that showcase the depth of Southern Thai cuisine. Chef Jazz has built Jitlada into a culinary landmark beloved by chefs, critics, and guests from around the world.