ACCOMPLISHED musician and lecturer at the Cyril Potter College of Education, Derry Etkins, died on Saturday after undergoing surgery.

Born and raised in Guyana, Mr. Etkins moved to the British Virgin Islands in 2007 after living for some time in Barbados. A pianist, Derry was a musician for four decades and a music educator for three. Music Journalism, a new interest, grew out of a desire to help inform audiences.

His teaching, playing, arranging and composing skills took him to Barbados and he quickly established himself as one of the prominent arrangers there. While there, he added studio engineering to his skill set.

He taught in Secondary Schools as well as designed and delivered courses at the Barbados Community College. Mr. Etkins’ recording skills took him to the British Virgin Islands in 2006 and, the following year, he took up a teaching position there. Within a year, Derry established “The St. George’s Muzik Lab,” named after his new school.

Mr. Etkins enjoyed a game of pools and loved nature. Local saxophonist Roy Stewart, in a brief Facebook post said, “Today we mourn the loss of a hero, my hero, a great musician and friend; I miss you very much.”