As a tribute to his tireless efforts on behalf of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Hollywood Bowl, the Honorable Ed Edelman received the Los Angeles Philharmonic Distinguished Service Award at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Hollywood Bowl performance on Tuesday, August 28 at 8 p.m. Philharmonic Board Chairman Jerrold Eberhardt and Philharmonic Association President Deborah Borda presented the former County Supervisor with the award. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated significant support for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and whose efforts have helped to further the mission of the Philharmonic and advance the cause of classical music throughout greater Los Angeles. Previous recipients of the award include former Philharmonic Music Director Zubin Mehta, philanthropist Eli Broad, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and composer/conductor John Adams.

Throughout his 30 years as an elected official in the City and County of Los Angeles, Ed Edelman championed and was instrumental in developing the musical and cultural life in Los Angeles. He is responsible for the creation of the Hollywood Bowl Museum, which was built in 1984, and re-named in his honor in 1996. Edelman also played a key role in the development of plans for construction of Walt Disney Concert Hall. Additionally, his efforts helped lead to the success of the campaign to win County voter approval of the Safe Neighborhood Parks Act of 1992, which provided substantial funding for the renovation of the Hollywood Bowl and numerous other cultural and recreational facilities throughout the County. His indelible mark on the Hollywood Bowl is illustrated in a plaque outside of the Hollywood Bowl Museum which bears his quote: "To relive the past is to appreciate the present. This museum is dedicated to the many people who worked to establish, nourish and sustain the Hollywood Bowl." Edelman even played at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1983 in a performance of Haydn's Toy Symphony under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ed Edelman graduated from UCLA and UCLA Law School. After serving in the Kennedy-Johnson Administration in Washington, D.C., he returned to Los Angeles, where he was elected to the Los Angeles City Council, serving from 1965 to 1974. In 1974, Edelman was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, where he served for 20 years. He and his wife, Mari, both avid amateur cellists, have two daughters.

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