The bright lights shine upon the stage and the strumming of a guitar can be heard as senior Chris Colston prepares to sing his final song of the night in front of the audience of over 200 people at the Gladewater Opryhouse. He has been playing at events like these every friday at 8 p.m. as a part of the band “The String Line”.

“Being able to perform in front of people is  something I’ve always dreamed of,” Colston said. “I’ll admit, I was certainly nervous at first, but as each performance went by, I got more and more comfortable which has allowed me to open up to the audience.”

Chris has been playing guitar since he was 11 years old. Chris has been performing every weekend he has had available since late in September last year.

“His performances are pretty great, and I think they are certainly great for his career,” senior Jordyn Blackwell said. “He always gets the crowd going when he is performing. His outgoingness is something definitely characteristic to him that makes him a unique performer.”

In addition to performing at the Gladewater Opry, Colston has also performed in Gilmer, as well as at the East Texas Fair in Tyler. He plans on continuing his singing well into the future and plans to eventually play at bigger venues in front of bigger crowds.

“Chris is very talented,” principal Casey Neal said. “When someone performs, you can tell how good they are by how good their voice is, and how good their tone is, but the most important thing a musician can have is a good connection with the audience. Chris has not only a good voice and a strong stage presence, but he also has a very good personality while performing which makes him fun to watch and listen to and also makes him successful.”

Neal, along with other faculty members and students, has attended at least one of Colston’s concerts at the Gladewater Opry. Admission into the event only cost $3 for students, and $5 for adults.

“For me, it is a great honor to be able to play in front of my peers and my loved ones,” Colston said. “I just thank God every day that I am fortunate enough to do what I love and be able to perform every week in front of lots of people. I am certainly blessed to be able to be as successful as I am and to be able to make a strong connection with every audience I play in front of.”