Ever on the avant-garde, Lyric Opera of Chicago has embraced the cutting-edge technology of “phonography” as part of their effort to attract young audiences: “The Magic Victrola is a brand-new presentation created for families with children ages 5-10…. While playing in their grandparents’ attic, two children discover a mysterious trunk filled with costumes, props, opera albums, and a beautiful vintage record player. What happens when they start to listen to the music? Scenes from beloved operas—including Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Bizet’s Carmen—magically come to life!”

As we all know, if there’s anything that fascinates today’s generation of tech-savvy kids, it’s analog sound recording on shellac discs. And what more romantic locale to associate with opera than an inaccessible, dusty room where that bad man touched you that one time?