2023 International Society of Bassists Convention Photo Report

Wow, what a week! It’s hard to describe the experience of attending the International Society of Bassists (ISB) 2023 convention at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Over a thousand bassists from across the globe assembled to celebrate, educate and inspire with a full program of lectures, presentations, recitals and concerts.

Whilst most of my time was spent in the DDB booth and filming interviews (stay tuned for those), I also explored the convention and photographed many incredible artists attending. Rather than a written description of my experience, I thought it would be fun to share my favourite photos, which I’ve done below. Of course, there were many fantastic artists I missed, but I hope you enjoy the pictures of those I was able to capture.

First up, here’s a bit about the 2023 ISB Convention, which took place between the 5th and 10th of June at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

A Week of all things double bass!

This is my 4th ISB convention but the first in which Discover Double Bass has exhibited. Our Project Manager Rebekah and I travelled to the US to share our work in the Discover Double Bass booth.

In addition to the exhibitors, many of the bass world’s brightest stars presented, performed, or just hung out. Chatting with artists, including Kristin Korb, John Clayton and Gary Karr, as well as up-and-coming bassists, was fantastic. Everyone was approachable, friendly and happy to talk bass!

We were also able to film several interviews with a range of exciting artists that we look forward to sharing with you soon - check them out here: ISB 2023 Videos.

Photos from the 2023 ISB Convention

Here’s a selection of the photos I took at the 2023 ISB Convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I hope it gives you an insight into my experience and why the ISB bi-annual convention is the highlight of the double bass calendar!

Click on the thumbnails below for the full image.

Check out our Instagram stories highlight for 100 other photos and videos taken on our phones. There’s a lot of incredible artists and some great video tours of the convention.

I hope you enjoyed my photos from the ISB convention. I’ve come away full of inspiration and have never been more excited about the future of our beloved instrument. From teaching to instrument making, the standard is the best it’s ever been. As my friend Jason Heath has said, it really is a ‘golden age’ of double bass playing!

Best wishes for all your bass playing, and let’s all keep pushing things forward!

Geoff Chalmers
(DDB Founder and proud ISB member)