Biography
Annick Odom (she/her) is a Belgian-American multi-instrumentalist, composer, folk singer, crankie maker, storyteller, and square dance caller. Known for her evocative blend of Appalachian traditions, contemporary composition, and narrative performance, her work bridges the old and the new—braiding together field recordings, original songs, and community voices into something wholly her own. Described as “hauntingly beautiful” (Classical Post) and “an adventure in every song” (VPRO), her music moves fluidly between the intimate and the expansive.
Annick’s creative practice is deeply rooted in place and tradition. As a performer and composer, she works across genres—from folk string bands and electro-acoustic collaborations to experimental chamber music. She also performs regularly in Europe with the folk string band Sweet Joe Pye and collaborates in an electro-acoustic duo with Italian composer-performer Tiziano Teodori. In addition to performing with regional orchestras and chamber ensembles, she presents traditional music and original songs as a solo artist on bass and voice. She is the founding member of Linen of Words, a larger ensemble for her compositions, whose Netherlands tour was supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten.
An avid supporter of fellow composers, Annick’s long-term solo project West Virginia, My Home celebrates Appalachian cultural heritage by weaving archival ballads and oral histories with newly commissioned works. This evolving project features bass/voice compositions accompanied by crankie visuals and has commissioned over 20 new scores. Her original compositions "Rise Early" and "Seven Bones" were adapted into animated films, both of which were selected for the West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival.
Outside the concert hall, Annick is deeply committed to community-centered arts practice. She is a two-time recipient of the West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship from the West Virginia Humanities Council, through which she studied traditional Appalachian fiddle music with folklorist Gerry Milnes and square dance calling with Taylor Runner. She is also member of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild. She organizes community crankie projects and leads workshops in traditional music, collaborative composition, storytelling, and arts-based research. Through her square dance calling, she helps sustain and revitalize inclusive community dance traditions.
As a teaching artist, she has worked with a wide range of organizations, including the Sphinx Organization’s Overture violin program, the Rotterdam Philharmonic’s in-school music education initiatives, and dementia-friendly programs such as City Proms Embrace in the Netherlands. She has led refugee-focused composition workshops for El Sistema Greece and for the International Summer Academy in Austria.
Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Annick spent over a decade living in Southeast Michigan, the Netherlands, and Belgium before returning to her home state. She holds a Master of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, a Master of Science in Psychology from KU Leuven (cum laude), and three undergraduate degrees from the University of Michigan: Clarinet Performance, Double Bass Performance, and Psychology with honors. In 2017–2018, she completed the Global Leaders Program with the Orchestra of the Americas, leading fieldwork in Mexico, Suriname, and Chile focused on civic leadership and creative music-making.
Her work has been supported by numerous grants and fellowships, including a full scholarship from Folk Alliance International, a travel grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a New Leaders Grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the University of Michigan’s Willis Patterson Diversity Award. She also received a Barger Leadership Institute Grant to complete an internship at Goldsmiths, University of London, and the Judd Family Endowed Fund to teach a creative music-making workshop series at Oakland University.
Annick has been an artist-in-residence at institutions across North America and Europe, including the Banff Centre Ensemble Evolution Residency, International Contemporary Ensemble’s Evolution Residency, WestBen Performer-Composer Residency, Nief-Norf Composer-Performer Fellowship, LABO Montreal Fellowship, SQUEE! Residency in France, New Music on the Point, NKK NXT Residency with the Dutch National Choir, Darmstadt Summer Festival, and the Dutch Impro Academy at Bimhuis Amsterdam.
Her performances have spanned local and international festivals and venues such as the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference (Official Showcase Artist), Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival (solo and with Sweet Joe Pye), REWIRE Festival (with the Free Fall Improvisers Orchestra), Oh My Ears! Festival (soloist and with Black House Ensemble), the Vandalia Gathering in West Virginia, ZomerJazzFietsTour (Netherlands), and the International Society of Bassists Convention.
Annick Odom (she/her) is a Belgian-American multi-instrumentalist, composer, folk singer, crankie maker, storyteller, and square dance caller. Known for her evocative blend of Appalachian traditions, contemporary composition, and narrative performance, her work bridges the old and the new—braiding together field recordings, original songs, and community voices into something wholly her own. Described as “hauntingly beautiful” (Classical Post) and “an adventure in every song” (VPRO), her music moves fluidly between the intimate and the expansive.
Annick’s creative practice is deeply rooted in place and tradition. As a performer and composer, she works across genres—from folk string bands and electro-acoustic collaborations to experimental chamber music. She also performs regularly in Europe with the folk string band Sweet Joe Pye and collaborates in an electro-acoustic duo with Italian composer-performer Tiziano Teodori. In addition to performing with regional orchestras and chamber ensembles, she presents traditional music and original songs as a solo artist on bass and voice. She is the founding member of Linen of Words, a larger ensemble for her compositions, whose Netherlands tour was supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten.
An avid supporter of fellow composers, Annick’s long-term solo project West Virginia, My Home celebrates Appalachian cultural heritage by weaving archival ballads and oral histories with newly commissioned works. This evolving project features bass/voice compositions accompanied by crankie visuals and has commissioned over 20 new scores. Her original compositions "Rise Early" and "Seven Bones" were adapted into animated films, both of which were selected for the West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival.
Outside the concert hall, Annick is deeply committed to community-centered arts practice. She is a two-time recipient of the West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship from the West Virginia Humanities Council, through which she studied traditional Appalachian fiddle music with folklorist Gerry Milnes and square dance calling with Taylor Runner. She is also member of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild. She organizes community crankie projects and leads workshops in traditional music, collaborative composition, storytelling, and arts-based research. Through her square dance calling, she helps sustain and revitalize inclusive community dance traditions.
As a teaching artist, she has worked with a wide range of organizations, including the Sphinx Organization’s Overture violin program, the Rotterdam Philharmonic’s in-school music education initiatives, and dementia-friendly programs such as City Proms Embrace in the Netherlands. She has led refugee-focused composition workshops for El Sistema Greece and for the International Summer Academy in Austria.
Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Annick spent over a decade living in Southeast Michigan, the Netherlands, and Belgium before returning to her home state. She holds a Master of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, a Master of Science in Psychology from KU Leuven (cum laude), and three undergraduate degrees from the University of Michigan: Clarinet Performance, Double Bass Performance, and Psychology with honors. In 2017–2018, she completed the Global Leaders Program with the Orchestra of the Americas, leading fieldwork in Mexico, Suriname, and Chile focused on civic leadership and creative music-making.
Her work has been supported by numerous grants and fellowships, including a full scholarship from Folk Alliance International, a travel grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a New Leaders Grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the University of Michigan’s Willis Patterson Diversity Award. She also received a Barger Leadership Institute Grant to complete an internship at Goldsmiths, University of London, and the Judd Family Endowed Fund to teach a creative music-making workshop series at Oakland University.
Annick has been an artist-in-residence at institutions across North America and Europe, including the Banff Centre Ensemble Evolution Residency, International Contemporary Ensemble’s Evolution Residency, WestBen Performer-Composer Residency, Nief-Norf Composer-Performer Fellowship, LABO Montreal Fellowship, SQUEE! Residency in France, New Music on the Point, NKK NXT Residency with the Dutch National Choir, Darmstadt Summer Festival, and the Dutch Impro Academy at Bimhuis Amsterdam.
Her performances have spanned local and international festivals and venues such as the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference (Official Showcase Artist), Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival (solo and with Sweet Joe Pye), REWIRE Festival (with the Free Fall Improvisers Orchestra), Oh My Ears! Festival (soloist and with Black House Ensemble), the Vandalia Gathering in West Virginia, ZomerJazzFietsTour (Netherlands), and the International Society of Bassists Convention.