Not the same old Christmas Music!

Music and Christmas go together but here in San Antonio you'll find some unexpected presentations of Chrismas music to enjoy. There'll be tubas on Saturday and saxophones on Sunday as special gifts to all!

At the Arneson River Theater on Saturday at noon you can enjoy musicians playing the tuba, the sousaphone, the euphonium and the baritone horn. It's the 31st Annual Tubameister Christmas. Last year there were 141 players who participated when musicians from middle school to their 80s joined together.

Registration starts for participants at 9:45 a.m. and rehearsal starts at 10:30 a.m. The band will be conducted by Lee Hipp, principal tuba of the San Antonio Symphony. The concert starts at noon at the Arneson River Theater on the banks of the San Antonio Riverwalk. You'll enjoy an hour of Christmas standards including "Deck the Halls", "Jingle Bells", "Silent Night" and more. Hopefully the weather will be beautiful  for the free outdoor concert.

If saxophones are more to your liking then be sure to catch the 27th Annual Holiday Saxophones at one (or both!) of two concerts on Sunday. There will be an afternoon 2 p.m. concert at The Buena Vista Theater on the downtown UTSA campus and an evening concert at 7 p.m. at the Guadalupe Theater. There is a charge for these concerts - $20 for each at the door. Check the Express-News or MYSA.com for location addresses and more ticket information.

The afternoon concert will feature five saxophonists, piano, drums, and bass. There will be some Christmas songs, some standards and some new material by Larry Slezak. The evening concert will have an even larger band with at least nine additional saxophone players - and probably more! Aaron Prado is quoted in the Express-News as saying, "People come from all over the state to play. People know about this." Sounds like an event not to be missed and a great way to celebrate the season.

Just a few more things that make San Antonio, Texas one of the most special places to live, work and play in the Lone Star State!