Inspired by the entertainers of Bermuda’s “golden age”, composer and pianist Dylan Hollis is hard at work on what he does best — creating music.His piece ‘Chords of Humanity’ impressed humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres enough to make an appearance on their website.And Dylan’s wistful ‘Bermudiana Rag’ video, featuring early footage of the Island, will be played at Warwick Academy’s gala dinner celebrating its 350th anniversary next month.“I’m very much a lover of the early days,” confessed Dylan. “I’m secretly convinced I was born in the wrong era.”Given the chance, Dylan would be happy to step back 50 years and play his piano in a hotel bar for the hordes of guests who enjoyed the heyday of Bermuda entertainment.Part of the reason why runs in his family.His grandfather, musician and producer John White, played on the Island’s hotel circuit as one of the Travellers, back in what Dylan considers the good old days.The Warwick Academy student got a taste of times gone by when he played for guests in the Fairmont Southampton’s Jasmine Lounge this summer.“I’m a big tourism man, actually — I love it,” he said. “I hate to see that so many of our grand old hotels are gone. I would have had a great time playing for tourists back when the hotels had their own bands.”Although dreaming of somehow finding a way to restore a classic hotel, the 17-year-old admitted that in reality he will probably put his music to work for the film or video game industry.“I started playing piano around age seven, and I wrote my first composition around age ten,” recalled Dylan, who is currently finishing off what is technically his 30th piece — a four-piece classical suite called ‘Clementia’.“I started out with classical, as many do, but I enjoy the music of the early 1900s, with bands like the Ink Spots, the Mills Brothers, with perhaps my idol being Bing Crosby. The style I like is called ‘stride’, and it gives you that distinct, early 1900s sound.”How does a modern teenager become a fan of Fats Waller and other bygone music?“The older folks in my family,” Dylan answered. “I came across old records and listened to them. And, of course, now there’s YouTube.”He plays by ear. His technique is to sit at the piano, toy with a musical fragment, throw some counter melodies at it, and see what happens. He also plays the tuba and the pipe organ.“I played organ for the school back when we had a quite grand pipe organ. It’s not in use now. It’s a shame, it’s a dying breed. But with the piano I feel much more expressive. You can talk to it more.”Recent creations include the short ‘Bermudiana Rag’, available on YouTube with vintage Bermuda footage. The flickering scenes, Dylan is quick to point out, haven’t been altered: “I got them off the public archives. I didn’t add any effects.”Another recent success was ‘Chords of Humanity’.“I wrote that out of fun, and about a month later a woman who worked with Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, came to our school. I was able to play her the music. It brought her to tears — she really liked it. She went back to the UK, got in contact with MSF, and sent me some photos taken by them. I did a video with the pictures, and they put it up on their website. That was my first great opportunity.”That video, too, can be watched on YouTube, where it has more than 1,000 hits.The St George’s resident hopes to further his musical studies at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.“I do want to turn music into a career,” he said. “And I hope to return to Bermuda after my studies.”With two more years of high school to go, Dylan is seeking other ways of getting his music noticed. In the meantime, Warwick Academy is his audience.Coincidence has left him with another connection: His grandfather John White was head boy at Warwick Academy, where he met his wife Bea, who was head girl.Useful websites: www.berklee.edu, www.msf.org.