Andrea Ross

Biography

Andrea Ross was born in Dover, New Hampshire, the daughter of William and Paula. 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. 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 and currently attends Pace University.

Stage career

On May 23, 2005, Ross became the youngest person to receive Boston's prestigious Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress. 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.

When Lloyd Webber introduced Ross at his Sydmonton Festival in 2005, he said:

Professional theater credits

Recording career

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.

Moon River track listing

1. "Moon River"
2. "No Matter What" (from Whistle Down the Wind)
3. "Songbird"
4. "White Horses" (theme to The White Horses)
5. "Heart Like a Wheel"
6. "The Prayer"
7. "All the Love I Have"
8. "What the World Needs Now Is Love"
9. "You Raise Me Up"
10. "Popular" (from Wicked)
11. "Learn to Be Lonely"
12. "Start of Something New" (from High School Musical)
13. "Whistle Down the Wind"
14. "One World"

Challenge Anneka

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".

Concert for Diana

Ross was one of several artistes selected to perform at the memorial Concert for Diana. 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.

Albums

Featured