As new director of the Murray Conservatorium, he plans to engage visiting artists to play not just in the traditional theatres and art galleries but in pub venues such as Paddy’s at the New Albury.

Dr Ratnik, 38, began work this week four months after Peter Lynch left for London.

His arrival in Albury in temperatures of up to 42 degrees contrasted with a winter spent in Edinburgh and a few days in Switzerland this month when it was minus 6 degrees.

Melbourne-born Dr Ratnik was a professional musician on double bass and tuba for 16 years after leaving school, but eventually returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a master’s degree.

He followed that up by gaining a doctorate in music composition at the University of Edinburgh, while composing concertos, sonatas and other works for wind and brass instruments.

“I come from a family with five generations of concert violinists, but I hated the violin and played clarinet and piano at school,’’ he laughed.

While in Britain he worked with top brass bands, drawing on his experience with Greater Bendigo Brass until 2004.

England’s famous Black Dyke Mills Band has recorded his work, as have champion bands and soloists in Scotland, Switzerland and the US.

Recently he composed a concerto for vibraphone and xylophone for one of Britain’s leading percussionists, Heather Corbett, of the BBC Scottish Symphony.

Swiss music publisher Difem has released several CDs of his arrangements of Christmas brass music.

Dr Ratnik and his wife Janet Howie, a journalist, have a daughter, Johanna, 7, and Lachlan, 2.

A conservatorium board headed by Brian Waters appointed Dr Ratnik after a lengthy phone interview.

Mr Waters said the board was pleased to find a musician of such distinction.

Meanwhile, Mr Lynch has cut short his plans to study in London and has returned to live in Hobart.