Idalea Kofsky Rubin, a local music teacher who studied under celebrated conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, passed away on Monday, Apr. 28. The Baltimore native and Eastern High School alumnus was 84.
Rubin was a 1961 graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Shortly after graduation, she studied under Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts from 1962 to 1964. She then began her career with the now-defunct Baltimore Opera Company.
Rubin went on to earn a master’s degree in music education at Towson State University.
For the next four decades, she worked as a music teacher in the Baltimore City and Carroll County public school systems. Among the highlights of her teaching career was founding and directing the Children’s Chorus of Carroll County that performed at the White House and at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1997.
“Many of her students remembered her for making music fun with all the songs, games and plays (Wack-a-doo-zoo) she created,” her family posted on the website of Sol Levinson & Bros. “Music was at the core of her being and she never stopped sharing this passion with everyone around her.”
In addition, Rubin served as homecoming chair of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in 1990 and 1992, and as president of the Peabody Conservatory of Music Alumni from 1993 to 1995. She was honored as Teacher of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce for Carroll County in 1997.
A member of Temple Emanuel from 1968 to 2003, Rubin taught Sunday school at the Randallstown congregation and served as the youth group founder and advisor there from 1970-1982.
“We fondly remember Idalea’s devotion to Temple Emanuel and treasure our decades of friendship,” wrote Temple Emanuel’s Rabbi Gustav and Sheila Buchdahl.
After retiring, Rubin moved to Sun City Center, Florida, with her husband, Dr. Robert J. Rubin. She sang and played piano at her local synagogue, Beth Israel, and frequently performed in musicals at the Freedom Plaza retirement village in Sun City Center. She also served as corresponding secretary of the South Shore Democratic Club from 2006 to 2008.
“Idalea was known for her sharp wit, wonderful sense of humor and positive attitude,” her family wrote. “Her competitive spirits made her an excellent Canasta player, which she shared with many of her friends and family. She traveled extensively, embracing new cultures by seeking out museums of folk art all round the world, connecting with locals by learning their stories, and exploring different cuisines. Her vibrant storytelling made you lose a sense of time and inspired many of her grandchildren to continue traveling the world for her.”
Rubin is survived by her children, Jennifer Wolfe and David Wolfe (Monika); her stepchildren, Howard Rubin (Kim), Steven Rubin (Paula) and Ellen Loughrey (Jeff); grandchildren, Heather, Corinne, Alex (Camille), David, Natalia, Jakob, Max, Ben, Jackson, Alexis and Olivia; and great-grandchildren, Asher and Emma.
She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Robert J. Rubin, and son, Dr. J. Aaron Wolfe.
A funeral service for Idalea Rubin will be held on Friday, May 2, at 1:30 p.m. Sol Levinson’s Chapel, 8900 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville. Interment will be at Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery, 318 Berrymans Lane in Reisterstown.
Donations in her memory may be made to SouthEastern Guide Dogs/ Dogs, 4210 77th Street East, Palmetto, Florida 34221. Also, to honor Rubin’s memory, her family encourages people to share a song, story or good joke.
“Though her voice is now silent, Idalea’s laughter, strength, spirit and song will forever live on in the hearts of all who loved her,” wrote her family. “Idalea lived her life with ‘coraggio,’ the courage to act with the heart, an unforgettable legacy.”
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