Ryan James Ritzes earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from The University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied voice. In his time at UMD he sang alongside other professional ensembles including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra, at one point even singing on the stage of Carnegie Hall.

Ritzes is a music teacher in Howard County Public Schools, and is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Maryland Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education.