Cellist Ashley Bathgate is a prominent performer of avant-garde music, both in ensembles and increasingly often as a solo player. Bathgate won the Lois Lyman Concerto Competition twice, performing cello concertos by Saint-Saëns and Schumann. In 2009, she became a member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars, remaining with the group until 2019. In 2010, she made her recording debut, appearing on the album Martin Bresnick: Everything Must Go, and she made several recordings with the Bang on a Can All-Stars. In 2015, Bathgate premiered a cello concerto, Stories for Ocean Shells, composed for her by Kate Moore. The following year, she made her solo recording debut. She issued the album 8-Track in 2023.