Kristian Sallinen (b. 2001) is a Finnish conductor and violist. Sallinen studies orchestra conducting in the Sibelius Academy's conducting class as a student of professor Sakari Oramo. Sallinen began his studies under the guidance of Professor Jorma Panula, and has also received instruction from e.g. from conductors Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Susanna Mälkki, Hannu Lintu, Nicolás Pasquet, Paavo Järvi and Esa-Pekka Salonen. 

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Despite his young age, Sallinen has already gained visibility as a conductor. In 2022, he will make his debut with, among others, the Avanti Chamber Orchestra, the Helsinki City Orchestra, Sinfonia Lahti and the Joensuu City Orchestra.

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Kristian Sallinen started playing the violin at the age of five at Espoo's music academy. The main instrument changed to the viola in 2013. Between 2015 and 2020, Sallinen studied at the Sibelius Academy's youth education, first under Teemu Kupiainen, and later under Lilli Maijala. In the viola master classes, he has been taught by e.g. Tabea Zimmermann, Antoine Tamestit, Yuval Gotlibovich and Hariolf Schlichtig.

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Sallinen achieved 3rd place in the national viola competition in Tampere in 2017, and received the Vilho ja Lahja Koposen Foundation's prize for "young and talented participant". He also won the award for the best performance of a commissioned piece composed for the competition, and made the piece a staple for Yleisradio in 2018.

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Kristian Sallinen is a distinguished chamber musician and a member of the Seele quartet. He has performed at several festivals around Europe, as well as played in e.g. As a soloist of the Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Mikkeli City Orchestra. He was the Young Artist of the Hauho music festival in 2018. Salline's studies have been supported by e.g. The Wegelius Foundation, the Wihuri Foundation, the Finnish Music Foundation and the Finnish Cultural Foundation. In 2017, he was awarded the Pro Musica recognition award.