| Andrea Ross | |
|---|---|
Ross in the recording studio with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Nigel Wright. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrea Christine Ross |
| Born | April 8, 1991 Dover, New Hampshire USA |
| Genres | Classical crossover, pop music |
| Occupations | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Universal (UCJ) |
| Website | www.andreaross.com |
Andrea Christine Ross (born April 8, 1991) is an American singer and actress. She has been an award-winning lead actress on stage in her local area of Boston, Massachusetts since the age of eight years old. At age 13 she was discovered by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who decided to champion her career and launch her as his protégée with a debut CD recording in 2007.[1]
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Andrea Ross was born in Dover, New Hampshire, the daughter of William, an engineer, and Paula, a medical-device company employee. In elementary school she took a variety of lessons in music, dance and also played sports, but it was enrollment at Franklin School for the Performing Arts that won out. Ross progressed quickly from ensemble roles to lead musical theater roles on-stage. Encouraged by her enthusiasm, her parents allowed her to travel to Boston to audition for a professional family theater. She won the lead role in "Tuck Everlasting" at the Wheelock Family Theater at age 10. This was the beginning of a five-year continuous string of winning lead roles and critical praise from the Boston-area press and theater community.[2] Her middle and elementary school educations occurred at the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School (B.F.C.C.P.S.) and the Davis Thayer School respectively, both located in Franklin, Massachusetts. She graduated in 2009 from Noble and Greenough School, in Dedham, Massachusetts[3] and currently attends Pace University.[4]
On May 23, 2005, Ross became the youngest person to receive Boston's prestigious Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress.[5] In her nominating remarks on Ross' behalf, Terry Byrne, theatre critic of the Boston Herald commented: "Stage presence is that ineffable quality some performers have to command an audience's attention, sometimes before they even begin to speak ... Combine that with considerable acting talent, a magnificent singing voice, and a strong sense of focus and the star quality is undeniable."
Ross has been a member of the Actors' Equity Association professional union since 2006.
In August 2006 Ross portrayed Gabriella Montez in Disney Theatrical Productions' and Music Theater International's first granted license of the musical stage production "High School Musical" at Stagedoor Manor in Loch Sheldrake, New York.[6][7]
When Lloyd Webber introduced Ross at his Sydmonton Festival in 2005,[8] he said:
| “ | I've not heard a voice like this for a long, long time. I think she's quite extraordinary. I ask you to give a hugely warm welcome to somebody who I think you're going to hear an awful lot more of for the next ... 50 years! | ” |
Ross' debut studio album, Moon River was released on March 5, 2007 by Universal Classics & Jazz in the UK. It was produced by Lloyd Webber and Nigel Wright.
Thanks to her record label Universal, Ross was able to donate her time to the Challenge Anneka challenge to record an album to raise money for children's hospices around the UK. The show was broadcast on June 6, 2007 on ITV. The album, Over the Rainbow was released on June 4, 2007 and reached a peak position of #1 on UK Compilation Chart. Ross sang the song "No Matter What".
Ross was one of several artistes selected to perform at the memorial Concert for Diana.[9] The concert was held July 1, 2007, which would have been Diana's 46th birthday: it was one of the first major events to take place in the new Wembley Stadium.
| Year | Song | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Moon River" | Jason Glenister |