Edward A. Engel; Musician

Edward A. Engel, a former violist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Glendale Symphony Orchestra, has died in Los Angeles. He was 73.

Engel, a longtime resident of Sherman Oaks, died Wednesday of complications from diabetes and kidney failure, said his wife, Rose Engel.

Born Dec. 1, 1916, in Pittsburgh, Pa., Engel began a lifetime career teaching viola and violin at the age of 15. He was trained at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In 1947, he came to California and became a real estate broker in the San Fernando Valley, but his real love was music, and he performed with several orchestras in the area.

He was in the viola section of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1947 to 1949. He was in the viola section of the Glendale Symphony Orchestra and often played in the Simi Valley Community Orchestra during the 1980s. He was also principal violist for the Los Angeles Solo Repertory Orchestra in the early 1980s.

Engel appeared as musician in several films, including “The Competition” (1980) and played for various film studios. He also directed a women’s singing group called the Choral Belles for about 25 years.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years; a son, Dr. Paul Engel of Houston; and a daughter, Anita Engel Brown of Sherman Oaks.

A funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday at the David Familian Chapel of the Adat Ari El synagogue, 5540 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Burial will follow at Groman-Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, which is handling the arrangements. Donations can be made to the Edward Engel Memorial Fund at the synagogue.