Ritter grew up on a horse farm in rural Weddington, North Carolina,[1] and began piano lessons in the public school system at the age of seven.

She lived in Boston for 16 years, during which time her compositions were performed and recorded with artists such as Steve Swallow, Ricky Ford, and Dave Holland, and Boston-area musicians such as Dominique Eade, Ran Blake, and Stan Strickland.

[7] Her approach to the keyboard has been described as painterly, with Ritter "applying splashes of color, dabs of contrast and subtly adjusting tempo and dynamics to create masterful soundscapes".

Beginning with her 2001 recording, "Castles in the Air", Ritter expanded her work into the classical avant-garde world with the debut of Opus 17, New Southern Symphonic Suite for Modern Dance, described by the Boston Globe as "intriguing, adventurous explorations".

[14] In 2017-2019, Claire Ritter collaborated in a newly-forged partnership with innovative pianist Ran Blake - a piano duo and live recorded performance of mainly original composition at Queens University of Charlotte.

[20] Claire Ritter's recent artistic projects have been funded by a 2015, 2017, and 2019 ASC grant to perform original works in collaboration with abstract photography at Central Piedmont Community College and Queens University of Charlotte.