“Suspended Doorways” was commissioned by the Whispering River Orchestra in 2020 as part of Riversongs commission awards. The piece is based on a painting titled “It is what it is. Imperfections are doorways.” by Northern Ontario First Nation artist Michael Cywink. The painting is an expression of “free fowing and interlocking movement in color” (quoted from the artist) where the fnal focal point at the end is a suspended blue circle; our planet.Micheal’s painting has an intricate yet liberated play with color and movement, and I decided to implement that in the piece. The gestures, harmonic motions, and aesthetics in this work are very improvisatory, and follow no master plan. They follow the very sentiment of Micheal’s vision; “It is what it is.” A Copy of the painting is attached in this score with the permission of the artist. The premier performance of this work took place in Parry Sound, Ontario in September of 2020 with the Whispering River String Ensemble conducted by the composer.