Catalyst Schools serve students in the Chicago area from two facilities: Catalyst Maria, which enrolls students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and Catalyst Circle Rock, which serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. To provide a meaningful musical education at the Circle Rock campus, Catalyst Schools have partnered with the Ravinia Festival, which offers music courses to more than 80 Catalyst students for two hours each day in its Sistema Ravinia Orchestra.
The oldest music festival in North America, Ravinia presents events each summer that feature musicians from around the world. Part of Ravinia's mission is to assist talented young musicians in performing in concert environments and studying with great teachers. The founding of the Sistema Ravinia Orchestra is central to achieving these goals.
The orchestra trains third- to eighth-grade students through orchestral music education programs. Its first program was at Catalyst Circle Rock in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.
