It was good to see the Regal packed full on Sunday, because this family concert was in aid of Music for Autism, the charity that aims to make the world a slightly less confusing and disorientating place for autistic children through the power of music. Appropriately, the concert was conducted by John Lubbock, who founded Music for Autism with his wife, mezzo-soprano Christine Cairns, in 2002, and featured the East Oxford Orchestra and some special guests.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t help feeling that much of the programme was not ideally suited to the large number of young children in the audience, many of whom were clearly bored and spent most of the time fidgeting, squirming or running around — all of which was extremely distracting for everyone else. “When will the music stop?” a toddler behind me asked rather loudly at one point. I’m all for encouraging youngsters to listen to classical music, but clearly they need music likely to engage their attention.

The only item that succeeded in doing so was the closing piece, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. It helped that the story was brought charmingly to life by members of Oxford Youth Dance, who gave a polished and disciplined performance. The icing on the cake was the lively, humorous narration by Quentin Hayes, who threw himself into the spirit of the piece with gusto.

Elsewhere, 16-year-old Gilly McMullin made an impressive solo debut in Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No.1, displaying some nimble finger work, solid bowing technique and a strong, vibrant tone. This was a confident performance, which was given a much-deserved ovation. In the Bachianas Brasileiras No.5, by Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos, Louise Wayman impressed with her pure delivery of the difficult soprano solo line, while tenor Mikael Onelius performed three Grieg songs with appropriate vocal and dramatic clout.