My husband, Michael Harper, who has died aged 61 after health problems including sarcoidosis and a collapsed lung, was an accomplished countertenor with an exceptionally beautiful voice. After a stage career in Europe and Asia, in 2019 he became professor of singing at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester.
Michael was born in Petersburg, Virginia, the son of Ruth (nee Williams) and Robert Harper, who separated when he was a child. Michael was brought up by his mother, a hospital care assistant, and he studied at Virginia Commonwealth University before completing postgraduate and doctoral studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
