The genius behind Sweden’s most iconic spring song, ‘Vintern rasat’, was a Lund University alumnus.

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The genius behind Sweden’s most iconic spring song, ‘Vintern rasat’, was a Lund University alumnus named Otto Lindblad.

He composed the song for the male choir, and it is still sung today during spring celebrations all over Sweden. Otto was also the one who established rules and statutes for the student singers in Lund. Together with the choir leader and lecturer Sven Lovén, he can be seen as one of the founders of the Student Singers. And isn’t it fascinating that a song created almost 200 years ago still makes us welcome spring with the same joy?

Otto Lindblad portrait — Otto Lindblad. Photo: Wikipedia

The Choir Today

Today, the choir consists of 49 active singers aged between 18 and 54, who gather every week for rehearsals. But on May 1st, former members also join in – and the strength of tradition is evident, not least in the fact that the oldest participant last year was 96 years old!

Stundet singers — In this photo, no less than the respective section leaders and the choir marshall. Together, the section leaders are responsible for the internal placement, distribution and attendance of their voice sections. They also assist the conductor during the choir’s admission auditions.
Photo: Daniel Svensson

Hold on to your caps – a new classic?

This year, a brand new spring song will be premiered as the result of an open composition competition held during late winter. The competition, announced via the website and social media, attracted many submissions. The choir has yet to receive the sheet music, so anticipation is high. Under the direction of conductor Christian Schultze, who has led the Student Singers since 2019, a world premiere awaits – with hopes that a new spring classic is about to be born!

TV and rehearsals

So how much rehearsal is needed before the big day on TV and the University steps? Well, the May 1st singers are expected to know the core repertoire by heart, so there’s actually just one single rehearsal to fine-tune the details for this specific performance. The Student Singers made their TV debut in 1974 in a programme called In the Glorious Spring Sunshine. In 2025, the TV programme is simply titled Lund’s Student Singers. Singing in the Spring (but in Swedish).

So let’s do it – put on your cap, raise your voice and let spring be sung in! 🎶🌿

The Alumni Network Blog