About Twin Cities Catalyst Music

Twin Cities Catalyst Music catalyzes the creative and professional potential of young people in the music industry.

Catalyst fulfills its mission through The Garage in Burnsville, the all ages (no 18+ or 21+ restrictions), substance-free, live music venue, recording studio, and educational center. In addition to live performances, the organization offers virtual and in-person free year-round music education programs focused on songwriting, performance, recording, videography, and music production. Since 2015, Catalyst has presented over 500 live performances for a collective audience of more than 50,000 individuals while working with over 2,000 young aspiring artists through various free mentoring and performance opportunities.

Catalyst will be pausing booking and presenting shows in 2025. Catalyst will focus on its core mission of youth music education programming, as well as recording and venue rental opportunities.

This was not an easy decision to come to, because safe, all-ages venues and stages to play are critical to nurturing the next generation of performers. This decision comes with the financial reality of rising costs of booking shows, changing audience patterns, and shifting donor support which made the current presenting model for Catalyst unsustainable into 2025.

Does this mean Catalyst or The Garage are closing? No! We will continue to offer our youth education programming through the Burnsville Youth Collaborative, and are working on new education and engagement opportunities, as well as recording and venue rental opportunities. This helps us make the most effective use of the studio and venue space at The Garage while we reassess booking, and find the right way to continue delivering on our mission.

You can continue to support Catalyst’s youth music and music industry education through donations, the Backline Program, and merch. Questions about booking, partnership inquiries, and rentals can be directed to hello@catalystmusic.org.