Technically, the name refers not to a specific set of musicians but to a yearly festival of new music curated by avant-garde composer/performers Julia Wolfe, David Lang and Michael Gordon.

Albums are most often credited to the Bang on a Can All-Stars, a relatively stable group of 6 to 8 performers and arrangers who comprise the core of the creative group.

During the 1990s, the concept grew from a one-day festival to an impressive array of live and recorded works.