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Moses Lake pianist shines at conference

JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
by JOEL MARTIN
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | July 3, 2025 12:55 AM

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake pianist performed successfully at the Washington State Music Teachers Association Conference on June 28, according to an announcement from music teacher Marina Munter. 


Lily Tun, 18, represented Moses Lake at the conference held at Lower Columbia College in Longview, according to the announcement. She played Tchaikovsky’s Romance, Op.5. 


Tun was the winner of the local piano competition and was chosen by Oksana Ejokina, a visiting artist for the Music Artistry Program held in March, according to the announcement. 


Tun, a 2025 graduate of both Moses Lake High School and Big Bend Community College, studied piano with Munter for 10 years, according to the announcement. She serves as a pianist for two churches in Moses Lake and as an accompanist for Columbia Basin Allied Arts’ musical theater productions. 


“Lily is an amazing student, and I am very proud of her achievements,” Munter wrote in the announcement. 

    Moses Lake pianist Lily Tun, right, shown here with Pacific Lutheran University Professor Oksana Ejokina, serves as pianist for two churches in Moses Lake and is also an accompanist for Columbia Basin Allied Arts.
 
 


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