Chris Kubie, 74, a pianist, composer, arranger and copyist who joined Local 802 in 1981, died on Oct. 15, 2024.

Mr. Kubie earned a master’s degree in composition from the Mannes College of Music in 1973, where he had a fond memory of attending a clinic by synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog. (He wrote, “I remember it well! The Jurassic period of the Synthesis Age.”)

His early jobs included transcription and copying. In his bio, Mr. Kubie remembered “I spent 10 years working at Chelsea Music in NYC with the late, beloved Mathilde Pincus and dear friend Evan Morris, doing music preparation for the pit orchestras on Broadway and for films. I learned more about orchestration here than I did in all my previous years of study, courtesy of great orchestrators like Jack Hayes, Jonathan Tunick, Michael Starobin, Michael Abene and many others.”

Mr. Kubie went on to serve as the musical director for multiple productions of “Kiss Me Kate” as well as “Marat Sade” and others.

As a composer, Chris’ music was heard on many platforms, including HBO, A&E, PBS, the Discovery Channel and the Learning Channel. He also composed for independent film projects, and he found a unique niche composing and producing music for hundreds of audio and video productions adapted from great children’s books.

One of Chris’ most influential teachers was the renowned composer John Morris, who was also a neighbor and a lifelong associate. They worked on several Mel Brooks films as well as the score for “The Elephant Man.”

Mr. Kubie will also be remembered for his longtime creative collaboration and friendship with Newbery Award winning author Jean Creaghead George, with whom he created a children’s musical based on her book, “One Day in the Woods,” and an unrealized musical adaptation of her novel “Julie of the Wolves,” which was workshopped but never made it to the stage. Mr. Kubie also corresponded with Jean’s son Craig, a whale researcher, about the plight of polar bears and other arctic wildlife. Throughout his life, the creative projects Mr. Kubie was most invested in explored the troubled but rich relationship between humans and the Earth.

Mr. Kubie’s album “The 13 Moons” was a companion to Jean’s book series of the same name, exploring one North American creature per song. He also composed the music for the audiobook releases of several well known children’s books, including “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” by Judi Barrett, “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” by Mordicai Gerstein, “Snow” by Uri Shulivitz, the “Henry and Mudge” series by Cynthia Rylant, “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters” by John Steptoe, John Updike’s “A Child’s Calendar,” and many others.

The vibrations of Mr. Kubie’s career can still be found online. His original website still exists as an archived version here, which contains much more about his life and accomplishments.. His music appears on Soundcloud and Spotify, and his Facebook page is still up.

In addition to being a musician, Mr. Kubie was “a huge environmentalist,” his daughter Lenore told Allegro. “He loved spending time rowing on the lake where he lived.”

Mr. Kubie’s son Ari said, “My dad was a gentle, playful man who loved watching the backyard birds while smoking peacefully.”

Mr. Kubie is survived by his wife Lisette, daughter Lenore (and Leonore’s husband Justin), son Ari, sister Ellie (and Ellie’s wife Sue).