Rising Stars 2026: Tristan Dunlop Violin and Piano Recital

Tristan Dunlop is one of the musical polymaths in this year's series. He is an accomplished violinist, studying with Stephen Larsen and playing with the CSO, an award-winning jazz musician, and a composer.

Tristan has been studying violin since the age of 5 and piano since the age of 8.

As a violinist, he was selected to be deputy concert master of the NZ Secondary School's Symphony Orchestra in 2024 and 2025, and a member of the first violins in the NZSO National Youth Orchestra (2023-2026). He was also selected for the 2026 Adam Summer School for chamber music. Recently, Tristan has been performing with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, he received Cashmere High School's Musician of the Year trophy for his overall performance in music, and in 2025, received Musician of the Year, Arts Person of the Year, and Most Jazz Potential. In 2024, Tristan was selected to play in the Christian Tetzlaff masterclass.

As a pianist in 2024, he won best pianist and best original composition at the Southern Jam Jazz competition, and in 2025 he won best original composition and best pianist at the Ara Jazz Quest.

Tristan loves the numerous opportunities that music offers for expressing himself and performing. He is a versatile musician who enjoys many instruments aside from the violin. These include classical and jazz piano and percussion. Tristan is a keen composer with a particular love for film music and jazz.

This event is part of the Rising Stars 2026 programme. A Tuesday lunchtimes concert series that focuses on encouraging, nurturing and providing a performance platform for emerging young musicians.