"What Happens in Vegas" by Kim Ritzer

ACDA conferences can be instrumental in refining techniques in choral conducting, innovative classroom management and new choral music. When planning for these conferences, board members visit venues where conferences will be held; working out logistics for adequate choir space, rehearsal rooms, attendees, additional meeting rooms, hotel room availability and so on. While taking a dinner break from planning the 2022 conference in Long Beach, California, Lou De La Rosa, our then ACDA President, asked me what drew me to Las Vegas. Or in his own words, “Why Vegas?”

My reply was, “I didn’t choose music, music chose me and Las Vegas was booming with a long list of talent. ” I started very young surrounded by musical talent. The first musical savant to introduce me to music, a prodigy in his own right, the one who taught me to appreciate the power of song, whom I loved very much, was my father, Robert Barclay.

My dad's family owned a music store in Media, Pennsylvania while he himself auditioned and was accepted to the United States Marine Band, The President’s Own. After several years in the band, his father became ill and my dad had to leave the band he loved so much, to take over the family music store. My dad’s music store didn’t just sell scores and sheet music, he also took on students and taught them woodwind and string instruments. An incredible musician, my dad played violin, viola, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone and flute. He imparted his knowledge and expertise to his students and when I came along, he started me on piano after I asked for one at six years old.

In the 1970’s, the Las Vegas Strip was the place to be for musicians as performers were headlining at every major hotel. Most used live bands and musicians were in high demand, working sometimes seven nights a week. My dad packed up my mom, me and my two brothers for Sin City, much to the disaccord of my Pennsylvania family. I was only four years old when we arrived in Las Vegas. I didn’t know Las Vegas as Sin City, as a matter of fact, I didn’t hear that term until I was much older. To me, this was my home. There were my friends of course, mountains in every direction, and my dad, who came home every night dressed in his tuxedo with his bow tie undone and hanging just above his lapel.

During summer vacation, starting when I was seven or eight, my dad would take me to rehearsals in showrooms at the hotels. I remember sitting in the nearly empty audience, intently focused on the stage where the likes of Wayne Newton, Tony Bennett, Debbie Reynolds, Diana Ross, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Shirley MacLaine, Liberace, the entire ‘Rat Pack’ , the Osmonds, the Jackson Five, Tom Jones, and so many more rehearsed with the band, the light and sound crews, and stagehands, rigging, lowering and raising curtains. The experience for me was surreal and exhilarating. Not just for the stardom of these super celebrities but also because I witnessed, watched and learned during my formative years, how shows were put together.

I had a passion and was drawn to music because of my dad. Having the opportunity to see how all the magic happens before the crowds paid (or had their show tickets comped), made me feel special, like my dad was the superstar. Yet at the same time, it just felt very normal, like what every kid would experience. Thinking back, I remember how my face was full of freckles. My mom would tell me they were sun kisses, but they still contributed to my shyness and confidence levels until I met Shirley MacLaine, who had strawberry-blonde hair and freckles of her own. In fact, many of the headliners were friendly with me. I garnered an admiration for them as performers while seeing the genuineness of their personas. In other words, they may have been famous but still showed their human side.

I cannot speak for my parents about what impact they thought the move to Las Vegas would have on our family but I can tell you that the exposure to music both in Vegas showrooms and at home, literally put me and my siblings on a musical trajectory. Fifty-two years later and after 33 years teaching choir in the Clark County School District, I am grateful for the experiences that I was afforded due to my dad’s profession and his willingness to let me see for myself what music can do for my soul and the hearts of the thousands of students I’ve taught. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen the ‘Sin’ in this city of mine. What I have seen is the positive force of music, how it touches people, the rhythm that makes all hearts beat at once and how music brings people together.

“Why Vegas”? It was where the work was. My dad saw that. I hope I can fulfill the dream he had of sharing his love of music with our future generations.

Kim Ritzer

Kim Ritzer is a Past-President of WACDA (2019-2020), and Nevada ACDA. She teaches choral music at Green Valley High School in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, and is a respected leader in Clark County music education and beyond. Her Madrigal Singers recently performed at the Western Region ACDA Conference in Long Beach.