BUFFALO, NY (December 20, 2001) – Shirley Ward, wife of pastor Dan Ward of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Buffalo, will be a backup singer for the nationally known radio show Prairie Home Companion Saturday night from 6-8 p.m. (EST) on National Public Radio.
Ward, a first soprano, is part of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus – she has sung with the group for four and a half years. The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus was asked to provide 24 singers for the broadcast. They will sing Christmas carols in Swedish, Danish and German as part of the program. Garrison Keillor is the host of Prairie Home Companion, which will perform at a local performing arts center.
A graduate of North Park University (then College), Ward sang in the college choir and was part of a gospel team that performed for area churches. She previously sang with the Gwinnett Choral Guild in Norcross, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, and performed many times in a variety of settings. Along with her work for the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, Ward is a worship leader at her church.
Ward is part of a musical family that includes three siblings who were music majors in college. One brother, Raye Pankratz, currently plays violin in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and another brother, Daniel, played cello for two metropolitan symphony orchestras. A third sibling, Anita Pankratz White, was named Miss Illinois in 1971.
Ward’s father, Dr. Herbert R. Pankratz, has a strong musical background as well. He taught at the school from 1946-52 and then served as professor of Music and Humanities from 1968 until his retirement in 1984. Son, Brian, will attend North Park next fall and will major in music.
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