Britain's Richard Hickox embraced the "Australian- ness" of his role as musical director of Opera Australia, the company's head said Tuesday, dpa reported.
Hickox, one of the world's leading conductors, had a fatal heart attack in Britain at the weekend.
Hickox, 60, replaced Simone Young as Opera Australia musical director in 2005.
"He was meticulous, he was a singer's conductor, he brought all those strengths, but above all I think what Richard brought and will be missed is that he had a great sense of the 'Australian-ness' of this company," Opera Australia chief executive Adrian Collette said. "It's ironic, I suppose, that it took an Englishman to celebrate that."
Hickox was associate guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, founder of the City of London Sinfonia and conductor emeritus of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.