If you are looking for a distraction from the Royal Wedding — or, indeed, a pleasant way to wind down after the ceremony — then Oxford May Music has the perfect answer.

In one of several innovations this year, there is an afternoon concert on that day in the Holywell Music Room, with a wonderful selection of music by Mozart, Poulenc, Dvorak, Brahms and the little-known Koechlin.

This is followed by an early evening lecture by Professor Richard Evershed on the analysis of residues on ancient artefacts, which throw fresh light on to the diet, customs and working life of our ancestors.

In the evening, though, festival organisers produce their trump card — an appearance by popular BBC television physicist Professor Brian Cox, known to a generation of pop music lovers as the former keyboardist of D:Ream, whose hits include the chart-topping Things Can Only Get Better.

Professor Cox will be talking about the nature of time, addressing such questions as, “did time have a beginning?” and “does our future already exist?”.

Neatly linking in to this theme will be a performance of Messiaen’s epic masterpiece Quartet for the End of Time.

“Sadly, this one is now sold out,” said violinist Jack Liebeck, who co-founded the festival in 2008 with Professor Brian Foster, a physicist and fellow at Balliol College.

“We explored the option of putting it in a bigger venue, but that proved impossible. But we’re really excited that an event has sold out so far in advance — we’ve never had this before!”

If you weren’t lucky enough to get a ticket, there are plenty of other treats in store throughout the festival.

Another innovation this year is a family concert on the Saturday, with soprano Rhona McKail, baritone Maciek O’Shea and pianist Annabel Thwaite presenting ‘The Wonderful World of Song’.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while,” Jack told me. “And out of that we also have a children’s lecture, so that’s expanded the festival. People love to take their kids to something on a Saturday, so that’s going to keep everyone amused.”

Pianist Kathy Stott is this year’s artist in residence, in a continuation of a scheme successfully started at last year’s festival.

“It worked really well last year,” Jack said. “Kathy’s a wonderful artist; I think she’ll mix very well with everybody and she’s happy to play lots of repertoire. And, of course, a pianist is very versatile.”

Popular baritone Roderick Williams, a former student of Magdalen College, makes an appearance on the Thursday evening, singing an eclectic range of music from Purcell to Bridge, accompanied by pianist Iain Burnside and, in some of the songs, by his brother, guitarist Phillip Williams.

Other events include recitals by the Tippett String Quartet, the Phoenix Piano Trio and baroque ensemble Florilegium — interwoven, as always, by fascinating science talks and ending with a rousing festival finale.

  • Oxford May Music runs from April 27 to May 2. Box office: 01865 305305 or visit ticketsoxford.com. Season and half-season tickets available; free entry for young people aged 8-25 under the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust scheme.

For full details of festival events, visit oxfordmaymusic.co.uk