Meet Thomas Woytko
About Thomas
Thomas Woytko is a professional low brass musician with a diverse skill set, having played on the national tours of MEAN GIRLS, ELF, and Music Man the Musical, as well as leading his own jazz groups. Thomas regularly posts on social media and has amassed over 17k followers across platforms. He is also the Executive Director of the JAM Concert Series, which aims to enrich the jazz community in his hometown, Duluth, MN.
Thomas’ first musical inspirations came from the volunteer choir that met before school in 4th and 5th grade. Uninspired to play the trombone in middle school, it wasn’t until hearing the Duluth East Jazz band play that Thomas was pulled towards a music career. Thomas attended the fall 2017 Staples Low Brass Summit, where he worked with and watched the Maniacal 4 and Christopher Bill perform. The Staples Low Brass Summit and his enthusiasm for Trombone Shorty and bands like the Lucky Chops, Hot 8 Brass Band, and Hypnotic Brass sparked his career as a band leader. In 2017, Thomas formed his first band, “The Boys Back Home,” which plays mainstream brass band covers. The Boys Back Home have performed at The Duluth All Pints Festival, UMD Farm Fest, and Duluth All Souls Night.
Before touring with Mean Girls, Thomas started his second band, the Thomas Woytko Group, in 2021. The Thomas Woytko Group plays original contemporary jazz along with arrangements of jazz standards. Thomas has recorded two studio albums as well as two live albums available on streaming platforms. He has performed at venues such as Jazz Central Studios, the Rathskeller, Caddy Shack, North Shore Scenic Pizza Train, Grandma’s Marathon, Fox 21, Duluth Public Library, Duluth Cider, Lake Superior Brewing, and in Canal Park busking.
As a sideman, in 2018, Thomas joined the “Lake City Smokin’ Section” horn section as their trombonist. For the last 4 years, Thomas has been able to perform in the Northern Lights Musical Festival playing trombone/bass trombone in La Traviata, Tosca, La Cenerentola, and The Magic Flute. Thomas has been able to sub with the Big Time Jazz Orchestra on Trombone 3 and Bass Trombone. Thomas has also performed with the Nor Shor Theater orchestra, playing Trombone/Bass trombone in the productions of Monty Python’s Spamalot, ANNIE, Ragtime, and Little Women.