Linköpings studentsångare

(Sw. Linköpings Studentsångare, former Linköpings Studentsångarförening Lihkören) was founded in 1972. The choir has since then developed both musically and organizationally, and it is today regarded as one of the best male voice choirs in Sweden. The singers are recruited both from the university faculties and outside the university to keep the musical quality at highest possible level. Today, the choir consists of approximately 60 singers, properly dressed in tails. 

In addition to the Nordic countries, they have also toured in the United Kingdom, Spain, Croatia, the United States, Jordan, South Africa, Macedonia and Wales. In 1987, the choir took the initiative for the first Nordic Student Singer Summit (NSSS) in modern times, which created a tradition with Nordic student choirs meeting every three years since then. At the Ohrid Choir festival in 2013, the choir was named best choir and received a special diploma for performing Bob Chilcott's Newton's Amazing Grace. In 2016, the choir created a composition competition for female composers who compose for male choirs, which is held every four years.

The conductor

Jakob Grubbström, born in 1986, is educated at the Royal Academy of Music, the Academy of Music in Piteå and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales. He has mainly studied choral conducting for Erik Westberg, Neil Ferris and Sarah Tennant-Flowers. In addition to this, he has also had masterclasses with, among others, Patrick Russil, Paul Brough, Adrian Partington and Alice Farnham.

Jakob has worked with several choirs and orchestras in Great Britain and Sweden – East of England Singers, Nottingham Festival Chorus and Stockholm University Choir to name a few. In 2016, Jakob founded the Cantores Amicitiae Vocal Ensemble, which has toured and made radio recordings in Great Britain, Bulgaria and Sweden.

Jakob is responsible for Framnäs Folkhögskola's choral academy, which he founded in 2019. There he teaches choral conducting and acts as choir master at major concerts. John Rutter conducted the opening concert of Framnäs choir center and the combined choir consisting of 230 singers had been prepared by Jakob. In autumn 2022, Framnäs was visited by the composer and conductor Bob Chilcott.

Since autumn 2023, Jakob has been employed as Director musices at Linköping University, where he is the artistic director and conductor of Linköpings Studentsångare and Östgöta Kammarkör.

History

Linköping University Male Voice Choir was formed in 1972 under the name Lihkören by enthusiastic students at the then Linköping College (Sw. Linköpings Högskola - hence the name LiHkören which translates to the LiH choir. It is also a pun on the Swedish word for Liquor which is Likör). The new name Linköpings Studentsångare was adopted in 2011 to be more closely linked to the Swedish male voice choir tradition. Over the years, the choir has developed, both musically and organizationally. Since the mid-eighties, the choir is considered one of Sweden's best male voice choirs. Today, singers are recruited from all the university's faculties and also outside the university's framework - all to maintain the highest possible musical quality.