OAU AND CHOPIN CEO LANRE DELANO SET TO INSTITUTIONALIZE HISTORIC ORGAN STUDIES PROGRAMME

OAU AND CHOPIN CEO LANRE DELANO SET TO INSTITUTIONALIZE HISTORIC ORGAN STUDIES PROGRAMME

By Anjolaoluwa Adedeji 

In a historic move to preserve and elevate classical music education in West Africa, Lanre Delano partnered with his alma mater to establish Nigeria's first university-based Organ Studies Programme under OAU's Department of Music.

The program framework is structured into two distinct, professional academic pathways designed to accommodate varying career goals and schedules: a 9-month Professional Certificate track and an 18-month Advanced Diploma track. The 9-month program serves as an intensive, fast-tracked curriculum focused on establishing foundational mastery, specifically targeting core keyboard mechanics, manual-pedal coordination, and the art of registration.

For scholars and musicians seeking comprehensive authority over the instrument, the 18-month diploma extends into advanced liturgical accompaniment, complex hymn modulation, and technical instrument maintenance. By offering these flexible, accredited tiers within the newly equipped Lanre Delano Organ Studies Room, the framework provides an accessible yet rigorous pipeline that elevates local talent to internationally certified standards.

Lanre Delano spoke of the importance of this programme has a move to establish structure where talents can be trained and certified.

In his words, “The talent is there, but it is raw. Think of it like football. Street footballers have incredible natural ability, but their value changes significantly when professional coaches train and certify them. That is the intervention we are bringing to OAU.”

The CEO Chief Executive Officer of CHOPIN (Church Organ Projects in Nigeria), Lanre Delano, has set a foundation of his partnership by donating a two-manual Allen Organ to the department of Music and also backed this up with a commitment to provide another brand new instrument funded through support of his friends and his principals at the Allen Organ Company, USA.

The Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Gbenga Fasiku, also noted this initiative as a motive to revive that aspect of church music and to preserve it place in worship traditions.

The Dean then revealed that the curriculum has already successfully scaled three out of the ten university committee levels required for formal implementation. This meticulous academic vetting ensures that the upcoming 9-month and 18-month programs will carry full institutional accreditation, providing a robust, sustainable blueprint to certify the next generation of classical music custodians.


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