From Convent to Concert Hall

BizTUCSONApril 20, 2026

3 minutes read

La Rosa Live Music Venue Brings New Purpose to the Benedictine

By April Bourie

The rose-colored Benedictine Convent and Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, a beloved historic landmark at 800 N. Country Club Rd. in midtown Tucson, is now a beautiful theatre and performance venue, appropriately called La Rosa.

Opened in October 2025, La Rosa provides entertainment for all ages and interests, and welcomes local, regional, national and international bands.

David Slutes, La Rosa’s owner and programming manager, and his business partner Charlie Levy are the duo behind the new venue. Levy has opened some of Arizona’s most respected live music and event venues including The Van Buren, the Crescent Ballroom and the Valley Bar, all in Phoenix. The longtime music director for Hotel Congress, Slutes has been in the concert business for years.

Old colleagues, Slutes and Levy decided they should open a theatre together and began scouting locations across Tucson. They fell in love with the Benedictine.

Designed by architect Roy Place and built in 1940, the Spanish Renaissance-style convent was once home to an order of nuns, some of whom lived there for more than 20 years before it closed in 2017 due to a dwindling, aging community of sisters. Today, the site holds a new apartment complex, which has been built around the original convent buildings.

“The owner of The Benedictine Apartments (who owns the La Rosa space) appreciated our vision for the theatre,” Slutes said.

Since La Rosa opened last year, finding the right acts to perform at the venue has been fairly easy, thanks to Slutes’ and Levy’s reputation and relationships with national and international talent agencies. Recent events range from ABBA and Rolling Stones tributes to candlelight musical performances, along with a Flamenco festival and an indoor vintage market.

“It was critical to us to get the right acts booked from the beginning,” Slutes said. “We’re at about 50% local/regional and 50% national/international. Now that the first acts have performed and like the space, groups want to play here.”

Performances are often repeated during the day or La Rosa may host two different acts booked in one day. “I’m a serial booker,” said Slutes. “I want everybody to own the place and have different and good-quality performances because tickets are not cheap anymore. I want this engaged community space to be engaged.”

It was also important to Slutes and Levy that the surrounding neighborhood was on board with having the theatre there, especially because of limited parking. “We worked very hard with the neighborhoods around us to bring parking in…and they’ve been lovely.”

They designated certain areas within walking distance as free parking lots and street parking is free. Levy and Slutes have also coordinated with nearby businesses like the Red Garter Saloon Bar & Grill and The RumRunner to allow patrons to park in their lots.

A detailed parking map and informative parking video can be found on the La Rosa website at larosatucson.org. “Angel Parking” for spots located on property is available for certain performances and must be purchased online beforehand.

Sisters Bar and Restaurant, another Slutes/Levy joint venture on the Benedictine property, opened in January. Serving pizza, sandwiches, salads, and pasta, the restaurant is open for dinner seven nights a week and for special events.

Slutes hopes the new restaurant will be an added benefit to theatregoers and neighborhood residents and that both entities will continue to be embraced by the community.

“We’re excited about this new midtown feel. There’s The Loft and The Sunshine Mile nearby. It’s like a midtown arts district with a new energy in the area. It makes Tucson ultimately more vibrant. We hope we are really enriching the community by being here, and so far, I think we’re off to a good start.”