ANN ARBOR—Harold Haugh, retired University of Michigan professor of music, died here
A tenor whose musical career began as a youngster singing in the church where his mother was the organist, Haugh went on to become the leading oratorio soloist in the United States, performing with all of the leading symphony orchestras and choral societies. The Boston Globe called him the greatest oratorio tenor of his time.

Intending to enter the ministry, Haugh entered Union Theological Seminary where he obtained a bachelor’s degree of divinity and a master’s degree in sacred music.

In an interview with the Ann Arbor Observer in 1995, Haugh recounted how he sang his first “Messiah” in 1928 and continued to sing in that Handel work 250 more times during his career. With a love for the stage, Haugh continued entertaining local audiences with Kerrytown Concert House performances well after his 70th birthday. “If anybody ever suggests that I’m singing just as well as I ever did, you know they’re full of baloney,” he told the Observer. “I’m out there and nobody vomits when I sing, so I keep doing it!”

To honor the longtime professor, the University established the Harold Haugh Faculty Award in 1975. The award recognizes and rewards excellence in private studio teaching. Upon his retirement, Haugh became the first recipient of the award.

Survivors include his wife, Anne, two daughters, and eight grandchildren. Tentative arrangements have been made for a memorial service June 8 at 11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor. There will be no burial service. Haugh’s body has been donated to medical science.