Edward L. Blaser

Edward L. Blaser, raised in Portland, Oregon, worked in BYU’s division of Performing Arts Management for 39 years before retiring in 2015. Blaser holds bachelor and master of arts degrees in mass communications from Brigham Young University. He served a full-time mission in Norway. 

In his role as the director of BYU Performing Arts Management, Blaser played a pivotal role in managing BYU performing group tours beginning in 1976. His contributions extended globally, with tours reaching one hundred countries, including groundbreaking performances in China in 1979. Under his leadership, Performing Arts Management sent twenty-three tours to China, establishing BYU as a well-known American university in the country. 

In 2005 alone, Edward’s division organized 71 tours to 130 cities in 13 countries, featuring 713 student performers. The cumulative worldwide audience exceeded three hundred thousand, with radio and television coverage estimated to reach over one hundred million. Notably, under Blaser’s guidance, during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Utah, Performing Arts groups captivated an audience of three billion. 

Blaser has dedicated himself to various Church positions, including serving as bishop of the BYU 36th Ward. Blaser is married to his wife, Lynne.