Suspended in a Sunbeam is a new work commissioned by and written for me in 2019 by distinguished Australian composer Richard Charlton. The work was inspired by Carl Sagan’s speech “Pale Blue Dot” and features text to be performed with the music simultaneously. The text, although notated on the sheet music, needs to be spoken freely such that the music and text are emotionally, but not rhythmically, linked. I commissioned this work in order to deepen my artistic research into this combined performance form which I have pioneered in recent years.. Preparing for the performance required me to research the inspiration behind the work, understand the text fully, experiment with where and how to place the text , learn the music and finally learn to perform the two simultaneously in a way that would be natural and fluid. This work represents another major contribution to the repertoire for spoken voice and guitar, an ongoing field of interest in my artistic research. Richard Charlton is known internationally for his guitar music and this piece (the first of its kind in his output written at my request and in consultation with me) will undoubtedly attract investigation and performance by colleagues internationally. I hope that my concert and research performances of the work will inspire the creation of similar works, in what I believe is a very powerful form. Though challenging for the performer, the form enables a deepening of communication with the audience through both freely spoken text and music. I premiered this work in June 2019 in Townsville and then performed it on an extensive national tour including Adelaide Guitar Festival, Melbourne Recital Centre, Sandgate Town Hall (Qld) and various regional venues. Also performed it in research settings in Singapore and at QCGU. https://www.broadwayworld.com/adelaide/article/BWW-Review-ADELAIDE-INTERNATIONAL-GUITAR-FESTIVAL-2019-KARIN-SCHAUPP-AND-MILES-JOHNSTON-at-Space-Theatre-Adelaide-Festival-Centre-20190720