Ruins are backdrop for ‘musical history’
Peekskill violinist Daisy Jopling’s personality blends happy puppy with the Energizer Bunny. For Thom Johnson, a problem-solver, logistical hurdles are almost always surmountable. Lucius Bell, an amateur violinist who attends Haldane High School, is enjoying the ride.
These three characters are part of a larger cast presenting the Northgate Story, a musical history tour that Jopling’s band and local students will perform from July 12 to 14 at the Cornish Estate Ruins, a former 650-acre manor built by a New York City businessman in 1910.
In 1958, fire gutted the mansion, whose stone-and-brick remains are located just south of Breakneck Ridge at the peak of a half-mile-long driveway that rises from Route 9D to an elevation of 190 feet. The home’s back porch will be the stage.
“It’s going to be awesome,” said Bell, known as Lucky. He studies with Beacon violinist Gwen Laster, who recommended him to Jopling.
Jopling and Johnson, a preservationist, worked together in 2020 to produce Illuminance, a concert on Bannerman Island with elaborate lighting and student musicians. An hour-long special aired twice on PBS.
Growing restless during the pandemic, Jopling performed an even more ambitious show at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza two years later.
On a local level, she is a passionate music educator who works with area schools and organizations. Her Music Mentorship Foundation presents a steady stream of programs (including Northgate Story). After her 2020 show with Johnson, she raised funds for the nonprofit Bannerman Castle Trust.
“Daisy helps a lot of people,” says Bell, 15. “She’s kind of an icon.”
The Northgate concert band will include a drummer, keyboardist, electric bassist and two dancers. Jopling, playing acoustic and electric violin, says she will “narrate the story of the residence” and “historically, emotionally and/or metaphorically underscore it with music.”
A stripped-down version of “Winter,” one quarter of The Four Seasons, Antonio Vivaldi’s famous violin showcases, dovetails with “the part of the story where I talk about one of the main themes of our event being to encourage youngsters,” she says.
“Edward Cornish [who owned the property for 20 years] brought 4H students to the site and Vivaldi wrote ‘Winter’ for female orphan students, who he empowered to become one of Europe’s best-known chamber orchestras.”
Bell plans to play Irish fiddle tunes that might be tied to the servants who plied the property.
Johnson, who works behind the scenes, is a retired art teacher who lives in Peekskill and tirelessly promotes Highlands history and the large artifacts that remain. He’s a driving force with the Northgate project, which aims to raise interest in the ruins.
The volunteer group recently installed signs that chronicle the property’s background. For the concert, designed to draw attention to the ruins and a spectacular view of Storm King, Johnson plugged the doors and windows of the skeletal remains with decorative wood coverings.
The event is minor league compared to the Bannerman Island production in 2020, he says. The main challenge is to shuttle the audience with buses that leave from the Cold Spring Metro-North station.
Student musicians will perform as people await the vans, which run at four half-hour intervals before and after the show. All 3 to 6:15 p.m. slots sold out fast.
“The only thing a ticket guarantees is a seat,” says Johnson. “We can’t close the park, so anyone can stop by. We’ll get a lot of bewildered hikers, but that’s great.”
One paragraph lifted from the new signage that dot the grounds takes an optimistic tack toward the future: “For many years [Northgate was] a little-known hiking destination that few came to see. With recent interest in hiking Breakneck Ridge and the Hudson Highlands, the public has rediscovered the ruins.”
The Northgate Story includes tours of the ruins and student performances before and after the main concert, which begins at 5 p.m. each day. Tickets cost $52 with shuttle and $41 without (children under 12 years old are free) and can be purchased at daisyjoplingfoundation.org.
