The composer behind the screen
From a studio in regional Queensland, Tristan Barton has built a career by bringing music to moving images for some of the world's biggest brands.
While Tristan didn't initially set out to be a composer, the CQUniversity Bachelor of Music graduate studied jazz drums at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music, where he was first exposed to the breadth of the music industry.
"I was always a drummer, but I was fortunate enough to have composition classes at CQU. I also grew up listening to a lot of hip hop and rap which inspired me to start beat-making. This evolved into writing music for film," he said.
"Over the years my music has evolved to incorporate a lot more electronic elements and sound design, that's what I've come to be known for."
Tristan first entered the industry through music libraries, placing original compositions for licensing. This progressed into freelance screen composing, with a client list spanning global luxury brands, independent filmmakers and cultural organisations.
He said screen composition demanded a fundamentally different mindset to writing music independently.
"I have to be very considerate of the visual information and the story attached to these projects," Tristan said.
"When there is a client on the other end asking me to compose, it is about aligning their vision with my sonic palette and trying to extract what it was they want for the project."
International impact
Tristan said his sound has been shaped as much by his international experiences as by his formal studies.
"During my studies, CQU supported me to go on exchange to Japan. I lived over in Sendai and finished off the last six months of my music degree there. It was an amazing experience," he said.
"As a drummer, one thing I really love is incorporating taiko, traditional Japanese drums. They are massive, big drum sounds, you hear them a lot in film music."
In late 2024, Korean animation studio District Holdings commissioned Tristan to extend and score an experimental 5D film. It was his first project mixed for Dolby Atmos spatial audio. The work screened at Outernet London, the Rockefeller Arts Centre in New York and Sonic X Cinemas across Korea and Australia.
"They first licensed one of my pieces and then commissioned me to extend it and build a completely bespoke score for the next 23 minutes of runtime," he said.
"It was one of the first projects I got to have mixed for Dolby Atmos. To go down to a studio in Brisbane and get that mixed was a pretty big milestone for me."
First Nations storytelling
Some of Tristan's most considered work has involved First Nations screen projects. As a proud Yorta Yorta man, he has brought both personal connection and cultural responsibility to every commission in this space.
Projects have included the soundscape for Gulgi Burra (Ydinji – The Sand People), a Miriki production that debuted at the Cairns Festival in 2023. He also composed the score for The Grey Line, a Life Films production about the life of Stolen Generations Noongar woman Helen Dwyer.
"Thinking of my own family, my own heritage and where I've come from has played a big role in how I approached these projects and where I draw inspiration from.
"I have tried to approach these stories with a great sense of responsibility and care. I never take on every project when it is in a cultural space as I want to make sure I can fully appreciate and deliver on what they are after," Tristan said.
"I try to understand what the project means to the people behind it, and how I can incorporate culturally specific sounds while still being very respectful and not appropriating anything."
The score speaks for itself
In 2025, Tristan won the Queensland Music Award for Music for Screen for his composition Legend is Born.
This year, he was named as CQUniversity's 2026 Alumnus of the Year – Industry Excellence, further recognising the graduate's success in the music industry.
"It came as quite a surprise, something I neither expected nor ever envisioned myself receiving," Tristan said.
"I'm very humbled by it and it's an acknowledgement of the work I've put into my career thus far, and it's left me with a sense of accomplishment."
Beyond the studio, Tristan had shared his expertise with emerging musicians, teaching and mentoring through the CQ Conservatorium of Music and providing insight into composition, production and the realities of sustaining a creative career.
"It's really important to give back, to inspire students and let them know that it is possible to make a sustainable career from music," he said.
"There are a lot of different avenues you can take and there is still a lot of work out there for aspiring musicians."
Find out more about our Alumni Award recipients.
