Magical musical moment: Dad serenades daughter with ‘Ave Maria’ during Disney vacation

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A Connecticut father is wowing social media thanks to a magical moment captured during his family’s recent trip to Walt Disney World.

Every day, a pianist plays a variety of music and entertains guests at Disney Grand Floridian Resort.

This time, Lyla and her dad Justin Gigliello danced in the lobby after he shared a story with his little girl, reminiscing about trips to Disney and the hotel with his parents and listening to the hotel's live music, WFLA reported. After their spin on the dance floor, Lyla told the musician that her dad sings and plays piano. The pianist asked Lyla what song, and she requested "Ave Maria."

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Gigliello is actually a trained singer. He started singing with his father, who introduced him to icons like the Beatles and Frank Sinatra. He started taking lessons with an opera coach when he was 15 and graduated from the Boston Conservatory, WFLA reported.

Gigliello, according to his Twitter profile, is a voice and piano teacher, and recently uploaded other standards to his YouTube account.

And there's a Disney connection to the song that Lyla asked her dad to sing. A version of "Ave Maria" was featured in the 1940 classic "Fantasia," known for the Mickey Mouse segment, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

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