Ed Smith Stadium transforms to Nashville for a weekend

Eleven-time No. 1 singer/songwriter and Grammy-nominated country music star Cole Swindell performed in the outfield at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., as part of the weekend-long “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” event in support of arts education and girls’ empowerment.

A portion of the proceeds from the events of March 1-3 helped fund the establishment of the new Orioles Charitable Foundation Music & Arts Education Scholarships, designed to support young students in Sarasota, Nashville and Baltimore.

The weekend featured a “Nashville’s Music Row Comes to the Ballpark” charity event, two Orioles home games and the Swindell concert. During the Nashville event, singer/songwriter Margaret Valentine invited members of the local chapter of Girls Inc. on stage to perform a cover of the song “Better Life.” Girls Inc. is a nonprofit organization with the central goal of empowering and inspiring girls and young women.

On Sunday, Girls Inc. capped the weekend by taking the field at Ed Smith Stadium to perform “Better Life” and the national anthem before the Orioles took on the Tigers.

“It was an incredible weekend celebrating the power of song and sport to inspire and bring people together,” said Orioles executive vice president John Angelos. “We were thrilled to see music fans enjoy the creativity of award-winning Nashville artists as we raised funds to support new arts education scholarships for deserving students.”