President's Corner — Volume 48 #3

From Reflection to Action: What's Next for the ISB

In my last President's Column, I wrote about an upcoming brainstorming retreat to be held in January 2026, focused on a guiding question for our organization: What's next for the ISB? I am happy to report that the retreat was an extraordinary and deeply productive weekend, bringing together a group of passionate, thoughtful, and committed bassists to imagine how the ISB can best serve our community in the decades ahead.

To help guide this work, I invited David Cutler, Professor at the University of South Carolina and creator of The Savvy Musician (savvymusician.com), to lead us through a series of strategic facilitation sessions. David's approach sparked fresh thinking, invited diverse perspectives, and helped us move from big ideas toward concrete, actionable proposals — always with an eye toward purpose and longterm vision.

David divided our cohort into four working groups, each focused primarily on a different segment of our community: precollege bassists, educators, professional bassists, and amateur bassists. In addition to deep internal discussion, each group had the special opportunity to meet via Zoom with bassists who are not currently ISB members. Hearing directly from those outside our organization provided invaluable insight into how the ISB is perceived and where opportunities for greater impact lie.

Using David's prompts, along with insights from these discussions and interviews, each group developed project proposals aimed at increasing the relevance, impact, and value of the ISB for its members in the years to come.

While a full report from the retreat is beyond the scope of this column, I would like to share a few key takeaways.

First, there was a powerful and unanimous recognition that the ISB's distinctive advantage — our North Star — is community. What sets the ISB apart is our ability to foster belonging, inspiration, and opportunity for anyone who loves the bass, across ages, genres, and geographies. Anyone who has attended an ISB convention knows this to be true. The bass community is uniquely generous, supportive, and vibrant, and it is a true privilege to be part of this extraordinary global family.

Second, several clear and immediate priorities emerged. As a result, the ISB Board is currently focusing on three key projects:

• Clarifying and strengthening the ISB website, so that it is immediately clear who we are, what we do, and why membership matters. Our content is strong, but with better organization and clearer pathways, it can serve our community even more effectively.
• Exploring how the ISB journal can become even more impactful, ensuring it continues to inform, inspire, and reflect the full breadth of our membership.
• Intentionally embracing the electric bass as an integral part of the ISB. While there has long been a tacit understanding that the electric bass is a welcome part of our community, we are now making a clear commitment to expanding electric bass-focused content in both our publications and our conventions. After all, we are the International Society of Bassists, not the International Society of Double Bassists. We have already begun conversations with leaders from the electric bass community to help guide this important work.

Finally, many of you should have received a recent survey. This survey is an important next step, helping the Board prioritize and refine the many ideas and proposals that emerged during the retreat and ensuring that our future efforts reflect the needs, aspirations, and realities of our broader membership.

This retreat was not an ending — it was a beginning. The ideas generated there will continue to inform our work as we move forward together. Thank you for your engagement, your feedback, and your continued belief in what the ISB can be.

Sandor Ostlund
2025-2027 President, International Society of Bassists

ISB Brainstorming Retreat Participants
Back row: Sandor Ostlund, Michael Geib, Jay Meder, Dennis Whittaker, Hans Sturm, Madeleine Crouch, Max Winningham, Hollie Greenwood, Jason Heath
Second row: Zac Smith, Kathryn Bradley, Kurt Melendy, Tommy Hawthorne, Lindsay Lam, Joey Neager, Kate Jones
Front row: Casey Lipka, Sasha Nepomnyashy, David Cutler

Read this issue of Bass World, Volume 48 #3 (Members Only).

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