A semi-retired jazz singer, vocal coach and clinical hypnotist from Matawan is hoping to bring the joy of live music to the homeless living in Lakewood's Tent City.

Rosemary Conte
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Rosemary Conte, who's recovering from a serious illness, says she's hoping to put on a concert in Lakewood's Tent City for the 60th Anniversary celebration of her career in the music industry.

Although its in the very early planning stages, Conte says she's inviting some of her vocal coach students to participate. "Some of my students, are now well known professional singer, song writers and recording artist as well as my two son's who are musicians."

Conte says she came up with the idea after watching a video about Lakewood's Tent City done by photographer Sherry Rubel. Conte's son Steve wrote the soundtrack for Rubel's video called "Busload of Hope".

She says prior to the video, she had thought of holding her Anniversary Concert in a supper club or a big classy venue but she says after watching the video "I thought, if I really wanted to do something meaningful, I should be entertaining people who don't have the money to go out and sit in a club and order food and order drinks and people who don't have the opportunity to see and hear live performances. I thought, the right thing to do, would just be to take myself to Tent City and do a show for those people."

Conte says she was considering opening the concert up to the public for a fee at the Tent City site and making it free to the homeless but she says she was told that it would be difficult because of the lack of parking and difficulty in obtaining Township permits. She's also considering holding it in her church or a church in the area and transporting the Tent City residents to the concert.

Conte says she's hoping to hold the event sometime this Spring.

 

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