In CW’s Sullivan's Crossing, a star neurosurgeon leaves Boston to return to her childhood home — a rustic and remote campground run by her estranged father. The show is in its second season and stars Morgan Kohan, Chad Michael Murray, Scott Patterson, Tom Jackson, Andrea Menard, Lynda Boyd, Amalia Williamson, Lindura, Reid Price and Allan Hawco.
Joel Schwartz and Ari Posner serve as composers for the show and recently shared with Post how they approach its original music.
Hi Joel and Ari! Can you share some details about the overall vision you have for the music in Sullivan's Crossing and how you approach creating it?
Joel Schwartz: “The vision for Sullivan's Crossing was to create an intimate, organic sound that reflects the emotional vibe of the series. We approached the score with a fairly minimal sound palette, relying heavily on acoustic guitars, pianos and strings, always keeping the rural setting of the show in mind.
“In post, Ari and I both worked closely with the amazing mixing team led by Renan Deodato at Urban in Toronto. Our goal was to seamlessly integrate our cues with the dialog and the show’s atmosphere.”
Photo: Composer Ari Posner
What were the specific musical needs of the show?
Ari Posner: “Sullivan’s Crossing requires a very intimate sound to support the emotional stories that are central to the series. Some key phrases of direction that we get from creator Roma Roth are ‘small town’ and ‘melancholic.’ The sound of simple acoustic guitars, piano and strings seems to marry well to the mostly rural setting of the show. Fortunately, Joel and I are able to cover guitar and piano with some confidence since those are our two main instruments, respectively.”
Can you talk about how you collaborate with the showrunner and other team members to develop the film’s score?
Joel Schwartz: “On any given episode, our work began with a spotting session with Roma, along with post production supervisor Yenae Tesfai, music supervisor Lindsay Wolfington, and our music editor, Kirk Starkey.
“Occasionally, we did these spotting sessions in-person, which is our favorite option, but when they were conducted remotely, we used a combination of Zoom for discussion and Frankie for video playback. While nothing beats being in the same room, the remote tools worked well.
“The music team stayed closely connected through Nifty PM, our project management tool. Moving into Season 3, we’ll continue with Nifty for certain tasks, but plan to try CueDB for managing cue assignments.
“Once an episode’s composition was complete, Kirk assembled a preview for Roma, who provided feedback through Frame.io. For cues needing adjustments, we shared updates and revised scenes in Frame.io until final approval.
“Playbacks were held in-person in Toronto, where Ari and I were present. Any minor issues were resolved on-site with the mixing team and Kirk’s support.”
Photo: Composer Joel Schwartz
What are some of the themes or motifs you wanted to highlight with the music?
Joel Schwartz: “In Season 2 of Sullivan’s Crossing, one episode features a hurricane that leaves two main characters stranded in a small fishing shack, leading to a raw, emotional exchange. This long, intimate scene required a delicate musical touch — almost invisible, yet fully supportive of the moment.
“To achieve this, Ari and I crafted a true collaboration, blending subtle guitar chords with gentle piano and strings to keep the music shifting quietly and naturally. These types of scenes are always a challenge, as the music must avoid drawing attention while underpinning the scene’s depth. We were all very pleased with the result, and Roma felt it perfectly captured the quiet intensity of the moment.”
What kind of deadlines are you up against and did that affect your creative process?
Ari Posner: “The timelines for deliveries on Sullivan’s are pretty much in keeping with our experience in series television. Usually, once we’ve spotted a locked cut with the showrunner, we will go away and write for about seven days. At the beginning of the season, there might be a little bit more time, but then, as we get closer to the end of the run, those writing days can sometimes come down to four or five. Fortunately, we do have an excellent music editor, Kirk Starkey, who helps us cover more ground when the time crunch is on.”
What were some of the challenges you came across while working on this project?
Ari Posner: “There are times, of course, when the stories involve action and tension. While we do have to step things up in these situations with more percussion and often more layers in general, it has been an interesting challenge to keep these cues grounded in our core band. So rather than leaning on all kinds of loops and synth arpeggios, we find ourselves covering off these functions with our two main voices…piano and guitar.”
Tell us about some of the instruments and techniques you employed.
Joel Schwartz: “For the score’s guitar work, I leaned into open tunings on acoustic to capture the show’s emotional tone. While I used some familiar tunings, I also experimented to find new sounds, aiming to play as a singer-songwriter might.
“One tuning that really stood out was CGDGGD, inspired by Canadian singer-songwriter Ken Yates. This sound is especially resonant and became integral in several scenes.
“From a sound engineering perspective, I stereo mic’d the guitar with a Royer 122v and either a DPA 2011 or a Neumann M149. The advantage in stereo micing is that a single guitar can be sharply panned or occupy a wide space in the stereo field.
“In the box, I applied light EQ and compression, and leaned on Neunaber Wet reverb and Valhalla Vintage verb to achieve an intimate yet ethereal sound.”
How do you feel the music enhances the storytelling in Sullivan's Crossing?
Joel Schwartz: “Our aim was to create a score that felt as organic and intimate as the small-town setting itself, blending acoustic guitar, piano, and strings in a way that resonates with the show’s themes of resilience, connection and introspection. The music in Sullivan’s Crossing enhances the storytelling by subtly supporting the emotional depth of each scene without overtaking it.
“We want to help viewers feel immersed in the characters' journeys without being consciously aware of the music itself.”