It's 9 p.m. on a school night and 15-year-old Franklin native Andrea Ross only got home at 7:30 from a sports conditioning class. She's fighting a cold, her voice sounds scratchy, and she has several hours of homework ahead. Still, the young performer is happy to talk about her burgeoning other life -- as Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's protege.
He's not calling her that, nor is she. But over the last two years, Lloyd Webber, the creator of such mega hits as "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Evita," "Cats," and "The Phantom of the Opera," has taken a special interest in the young singer who made a splash in Boston musicals, and he has quietly taken steps to further her career.
Under Lloyd Webber's supervision, Ross has completed her debut CD, "Moon River," which will be released in England on March 5 . The Noble and Greenough sophomore will leave for London in two weeks for a Jan. 23 media showcase that will officially launch the CD, and she'll spend three weeks traveling around England doing media interviews.
Like any young performer, she's also got a new website, andreaross.com , to promote the album. Snippets of the songs, and the first entry in Ross's blog, are included.
