This bathroom felt like someplace special.
Jessica Catron
Founding Executive Director & Lead Teaching Artist
Jessica Catron (she/her) is a cellist, educator, creative advisor, and entrepreneur based in Missoula, Montana. She is the Founding Director of Grow Music Missoula, a small community music school, and Founding Executive Director of Missoula Crescendo Club, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to music education, mentorship, and creative opportunities for young people.
Before moving to Montana, Jessica spent a decade in Los Angeles as a freelance cellist, performing with a diverse range of acclaimed artists including Nels Cline, DeVotchKa, FUN., Trevor Hall, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dave Matthews, Linda Ronstadt, Spiritualized, Steve Vai, Vitamin String Quartet, Scott Weiland, Wilco, and many others. She has appeared on The Tonight Show, NBC Music Video Awards, the Coachella Music Festival, and in numerous film and commercial soundtracks.
Jessica's passion for education began as Lead Cello Teaching Artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) program. Since then, she has led workshops throughout the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Colombia, and has dedicated her career to using music as a tool for positive youth development, community connection, and creative empowerment.
As a performer, Jessica enjoys creating sound art and working in collaborative projects. She served as Artist-in-Residence at the UCLA Hammer Museum and has cultivated sound pieces through Open AIR, the Clark Chateau in Butte, and the Montana Cultural Trust. In the summer months, she enjoys playing cello at outdoor weddings with The Receptionists, surrounded by the exquisite beauty of Montana.
Over the past decade, Jessica has cultivated Grow Music into a thriving, inclusive music school serving students of all ages. Through the Missoula Crescendo Club, she has secured multi-year partnerships with national institutions like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall to bring innovative, accessible programming—like the Montana Well-Being Concerts—to the regional community. In addition to her director duties, Jessica serves as an innovative facilitator, creative advisor, and program visionary for non-profits, artists, and educators, offering guidance in mission alignment, sustainability, and community-centered leadership.
Personal time is enjoyed by sitting around campfires, going to primitive skills gatherings, learning about plants, finding ways to reuse everything, and exploring new and wild places with her family.
Learn More