Brunei girl youngest at school

Eight-year-old Kristine Clair Uchi Galano is the youngest student to attend the Queenstown Violin Summer School, and she has also travelled further than any of her classmates - all the way from Brunei.

Her mother Evangaline, a piano teacher, said Kristine Clair began begging her for a violin when she was a 3-year-old.

A year and a-half later, the family moved from the Philippines to Brunei, where Kristine Clair got her first violin and began lessons.

After six months, she played her first concert.

In 2007, renowned teacher Jamie Sales heard Kristine Clair play and was so impressed he invited her for free violin tutoring.

Within a year, Kristine Clair had skipped seven grades, where most players achieve one grade per year.

The Trinity Guild Hall grade eight music exam was her first exam.

"Everyone told me we were being too ambitious but she passed with distinction. Her teacher said he wouldn't put his reputation on the line if he wasn't confident," Mrs Uchi Galano said.

Kristine Clair's musical achievements include five gold and two silver medals from violin competitions in Malaysia.

Queenstown's summer school was a great opportunity for Kristine Clair to learn, her mother said.

"It's quite costly to travel here but we can't count the blessings she will receive here," she said.

Kristine Clair said she was enjoying the study and enjoying meeting other young players.

The school began on January 11 and continues January 22, with lessons from professional international teachers.

It has attracted 26 talented violin students aged from 8 to 25, who were selected by audition, from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Cambridge, Wellington, Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin and Gore.

The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra is offering a student, chosen by their teachers, the opportunity to perform solo with the orchestra in its ASB Classical Sparks outdoor concert in Hagley Park, Christchurch, on February 5.