Fundraiser to benefit Music Health Alliance
Nashville, TN – For the second consecutive year, the Orioles will host “Nashville’s Music Row Comes to the Ballpark” – an exclusive, on-field performance at Ed Smith Stadium – on Friday, March 17. Every dollar raised at the charity event will benefit the Library Foundation for Sarasota County’s early childhood literacy programs and Music Health Alliance. This year’s event is presented by the Orioles in partnership with the Greater Sarasota Area Chamber of Commerce and the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.
The performances will begin at 8:15 p.m. showcasing a cross-section of Nashville’s vast songwriting community. Performers will include LIZ ROSE, GRAMMY Award and American Country Music Award-winning songwriter; LAURA VELTZ, GRAMMY nominated co-writer, and one of the top songwriters in Nashville; JIMMY ROBBINS, award-winning country radio hit songwriter, RYAN BEAVER, one of the “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know” according to Rolling Stone; and emerging Nashville writer MARGARET VALENTINE. Country singer and songwriter, JENAE CHERRY, whose husband is Orioles pitcher BRAD BRACH, will perform as a special guest.
Veteran MASN broadcaster JIM HUNTER will serve as emcee for the charity event, which will feature a meet and greet with Nashville songwriters and Orioles players and a pre-show VIP cocktail reception at 7:00 p.m. Following the pre-show activities, Rose, Veltz, Robbins, Beaver, and Valentine will perform in a country-style songwriter round, a concept made famous in Nashville and seen on the hit television show Nashville. This intimate setting will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the songs were written, while getting up close and personal with stars of the stage and the diamond in support of two terrific causes.
“At the intersection of Sarasota’s community values and the Orioles’ organizational mission is a shared passion for supporting music and the arts, youth education, and affordable health care to those most in need,” said JOHN ANGELOS, Orioles Executive Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network President. “Through the special relationship shared by the Orioles Baseball and Nashville Music Row communities, we are proud to annually bring together world-class artists and athletes playing for their community through our ‘Nashville’s Music Row Comes to the Ballpark’ charity cocktail and concert event. This intimate evening on the diamond, hosted by Orioles players and hit Nashville songwriters performing and telling stories about their radio hits and newly-created hits of tomorrow, capitalizes on America’s love affair with country music and the game of baseball and unites our many friends in the Sarasota, Baltimore, and Nashville civic, arts and culture, and charitable communities in raising awareness and financial support for local charities and those they serve.”
The performance benefits the Library Foundation for Sarasota County’s Children’s Literacy Endowment and Music Health Alliance. Established in 2015, the endowment supports programs that enhance opportunities for young children and their families to read together, including the Imagination Library program, which provides a new book each month to eligible children during the first five years of their life.
Music Health Alliance is a nonprofit organization that provides access to healthcare for the music industry. Over 76 percent of music professionals across the nation have limited access to healthcare because they are self-employed or part of small businesses. Music Health Alliance’s services protect, direct, and connect music professionals with medical and financial solutions for all genres of music. Since its launch in 2013, the organization has secured over $15.5 million in life-changing healthcare resources and enabled access to doctors, medicine, health insurance, and financial assistance for more than 5,300 individuals.
Each year, the Orioles also host an “Arts in the Ballpark” series at Ed Smith Stadium. This initiative offers free and low-cost, family-friendly arts and entertainment experiences in a ballpark setting. Upcoming “Arts in the Ballpark” events include “Big Band Jazz through the Decades,” on April 22, when the Jazz Club of Sarasota will perform at Ed Smith Stadium and “Hits and Home Runs,” the fourth annual outdoor Pops performed by the Sarasota Orchestra on May 12 and 13. Tickets are still available for both events at www.orioles.com/arts.
In the seven years since the Orioles moved Major League Spring Training to Sarasota, more than 765,000 fans have enjoyed Orioles games at Ed Smith Stadium. A recent independent analysis commissioned by Sarasota County Government concluded that the Orioles generate approximately $89 million in annual economic impact back to taxpayers and residents. By marketing Sarasota to fans in the Mid-Atlantic region, operating a year-round athletic training facility, producing entertainment and sporting events, partnering with charitable causes, and hosting and often subsidizing youth sports tournaments and activities, the Orioles demonstrate an abiding commitment to their Florida home that goes far beyond baseball. For details, visit www.orioles.com/Sarasota.