In 1988 Sullivan moved to
Brooklin, Maine to write music. He and his wife, Jillson Knowles, founded the record company River Music. Sullivan is co-creator of the performance piece
A Terrible Beauty, which is based on
The Law of Dreams by
Peter Behrens. The piece was performed in Maine and off-Broadway in New York City in 2010. His jazz ballad "Whisper" was a finalist in the 2009
International Songwriting Competition. The song was recorded by
Theresa Thomason, with whom he regularly performs, and appears on his album
Break Away with his jazz ensemble PS Jazz. In the 1990s his record label published books on tape, which included
White on White, a selection of
E.B. White essays read by
Joel White. Sullivan's first major choral work, River, premiered in 2010 by the Bagaduce Chorale of
Blue Hill, Maine. He has composed for the
Pilobolus Dance Theater. ==Writing==