The Orioles today announced that the fifth annual “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” charity weekend will take place at Ed Smith Stadium from March 5-8, 2020. The weekend, which will celebrate current country hits, combines song and sport to support arts education and girls’ empowerment, and will feature the fifth annual “Nashville’s Music Row Comes to the Ballpark” VIP charity event, two Orioles home games, and free community workshops for local youth.

A portion of proceeds from the weekend’s events will benefit the Orioles Charitable Foundation’s Music & Arts Education Scholarship, which was created in 2019 to support deserving students and programs in Baltimore, Sarasota, and Nashville. To date, the “Athletes and Artists” series has raised over $400,000.

This year’s weekend-long series of events will begin Thursday, March 5, when the Orioles host the Minnesota Twins at 3:05 p.m. ET. On Saturday, March 7, the Orioles will once again offer free community workshops for local youth at Ed Smith Stadium, hosted by participating musicians and baseball alumni who donate their time and talent to ensure that gifted kids in disadvantaged communities have access to arts and music education. Additional details about the series of workshops aimed at youth empowerment will be announced at a later date.

Charitable donors will return to Ed Smith Stadium Saturday evening for the fifth annual “Nashville’s Music Row Comes to the Ballpark” VIP charity event. This one-of-a-kind, all-access event, hosted by event founder and singer-songwriter MARGARET VALENTINE, brings Orioles players and Nashville artists together in support of music education.

The event will celebrate current country hits, featuring an all-star line-up which includes Billboard chart-topping and Platinum-certified country artist RAELYNN, as well as GRAMMY and CMA nominated songwriters JORDAN SCHMIDT and JIMMY ROBBINS. The night will also introduce emerging Nashville artist CARTER FAITH and special guest emcee RENEE BLAIR, who was recently named to the CMT Next Women of Country’s 2020 Class.

More information about each performer can be found at Orioles.com/AthletesAndArtists.

The annual “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” weekend fundraiser began five years ago with the first “Nashville Comes to the Ballpark” charity event and has steadily grown to include more programming, including last year when the ballpark hosted an on-field concert by COLE SWINDELL to support selected charitable efforts. In 2019, proceeds from the mid-summer “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” fundraiser, held the evening before the historic BILLY JOEL concert at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, were used to fund community grants from the Orioles Charitable Foundation to JUBILEE ARTS and BALTIMORE SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS. Past beneficiaries include the MUSIC HEALTH ALLIANCE, SARASOTA YMCA, LIBRARY FOUNDATION FOR SARASOTA COUNTY, and GIRLS INC.

“We are thrilled to once again use our platform to bring song and sport together in support of arts education and girls’ empowerment,” said JENNIFER GRONDAHL, Orioles Senior Vice President, Community Development and Communications. “The ‘Athletes & Artists’ series has become an integral part of our community development efforts, and acts as a catalyst for change in the Baltimore, Sarasota, and Nashville communities.”

The Orioles will conclude “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” weekend on Sunday, March 8, with a 1:05 p.m. game against the New York Yankees.

About the Orioles in Sarasota

In the 10 years since the Orioles moved Major League Spring Training to Sarasota, more than one million fans have enjoyed Orioles games at Ed Smith Stadium – making the team the fastest franchise to reach one million fans in almost a century of Spring Training baseball in Sarasota. In that time, the Orioles have hosted 21 shows at Ed Smith Stadium as part of the Orioles’ “Arts in the Ballpark” series, making Ed Smith Stadium a multi-interest destination for local residents and visitors alike. As one of Sarasota’s leading entertainment destinations for families, Ed Smith Stadium has welcomed more than 180,000 families and children over just the past six years.