Meet Justin Gigliello, a 30-year-old father and musician who recently went viral after singing “Ave Maria” in the lobby of the Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort in Orlando.
And though this viral moment took place in a public hotel lobby and features live piano accompaniment, it’s clear he was really just performing for an audience of one: his six-year-old daughter and biggest fan, Lyla.
In fact, you could say Lyla is the one responsible for making the performance happen. According to The Boston Globe, Lyla approached the Grand Floridian’s pianist and asked him if her dad could sing along as he played. The pianist asked her what she’d like him to play, and she herself selected “Ave Maria.”
The rest, as they say, is viral news history.
You can see joyful pride radiating from every inch of Lyla’s body as she watches her father absolutely nail the hard-to-sing hymn. That, surely, is the best accolade a father could ask for.
The Gigliellos, who live in North Stonington, CT, seem to be enjoying their brush with viral fame.
“We’ve noticed that a couple of times, people will come up to us and they’ll say ‘are you the singer in the video?’ and I say ‘yes! That is me!'” Gigliello told Connecticut’s Fox 61.
Those wanting to hear more of Gigliello’s buttery, operatic voice are in luck! The uber-talented father, who has been practicing as a singer and musician since he was 15, has a YouTube channel featuring a range of beautiful covers.
With the ability to hear that voice whenever we want, we consider ourselves almost as lucky as little Lyla. Between this and the new Disney park rules, we feel an urge to start planning a Magic Kingdom getaway, like, yesterday!
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