Annick Odom
Annick Odom is a Belgian-American performer-composer, storyteller, and community artist. Her work blends Appalachian folk traditions, especially ballads and Old Time tunes, with experimental composition and visual storytelling. She frequently works with archival materials and oral histories to create new, participatory pieces rooted in place and lived experience. Annick is a two-time West Virginia Folklife Apprentice and currently serves as Artist-in-Residence at Fairmont State University. She has performed and taught throughout the U.S. and Europe and holds degrees from the University of Michigan, the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, and KU Leuven, and she draws on her background in both music and psychology to create inclusive, community-rooted artistic projects.
Her MCA Academy project, Music In Motion: Intergenerational Storytelling and Music-Making in Appalachia, is a collaborative, multidisciplinary arts project bringing together youth, adults, and elders to create new works blending oral storytelling, music, and visual art. Community members will gather for workshops to share stories, learn traditional ballads, and co-create original songs. These stories and songs will be brought to life through live performance, featuring experimentation across genres and media like spoken word, instrumental music, and hand-cranked panoramas (“crankies”). A special emphasis will be placed on connecting with elders who may experience isolation, extending the circle of participation, and building meaningful relationships between generations.
