The American tubist takes the reins following Kim Walker’s stormy exit.

The University of Sydney has appointed a new dean to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, ending a months-long search that concentrated on candidates outside Australia. The former dean, American bassoonist Kim Walker, will be replaced by Karl Kramer, an American tuba player, music educator and academic.

Professor Kramer has served as director of the University of Illinois School of Music for 10 years; previous posts include dean of the conservatory at the State University of New York and dean of music at the New World School of the Arts in Miami. The 54-year-old holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master of Music from Yale University. An active performer, he is principal tubist with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of the Brass Ring ensemble.

Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence praised the new recruit’s credentials in a statement today, stressing his “well-deserved reputation as a music scholar, an innovative teacher and a professional performer.”

Kramer says he had “plenty of time to nose around, meet the faculty and hear some of the students perform in recital” when he visited the Conservatorium campus...