Durham cellist featured as the NFL's virtual draft comes to a close

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The NFL wrapped up its first-ever virtual draft. Singer and songwriter Harry Connick Jr. was the opening act, crushing the National Anthem. Along the way, the producers provided all kinds of compelling content. Both live and prerecorded including some sweet sounds of a local cellist.

Marc Moskovitz is no stranger to world-renowned concert halls. Performing on a national stage during a historic draft is certainly unique for this lifelong Jets fan.

"So it's about as close as I'll ever get to Joe Namath and the Jets and all of that is being part of the draft in my own way," Mskovitz jokes.

For now, a virtual collaboration will be as close as he gets to a star in the entertainment world, Leslie Odom Jr. You can hear Moskovitz's cello while Odom Jr. belts out a show tune written by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Because of today's current social climate, each artist recorded their piece separately.

"Each of the musicians are living in different parts of the country. Some are in Ohio, one's in New York, one's in Arizona."

And Moskovitz lives in Durham and teaches at UNC Pembroke. Fortunately, he was able to record his part with his brother at a studio in Chapel Hill.

"It would have been nice to have actually be with Leslie and made the recording, but that's not how it went down. It'll be cool to have been a part of this technology and the way that it happened and hopefully a once in a lifetime opportunity that we're never stuck in this situation again. But cool to have been a part of it none the less."

Moskovitz and the other five musicians playing with Odom Jr. are members of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio. All live performances together through the summer are in serious jeopardy.

"It's not ideal. You want to perform music with your colleagues sitting in a close intimate environment that's why you do what you do and it's made me very well aware of how much we take that situation for granted. "

Cancellations are stretching into the fall. A concert at the University of Virginia was just nixed.

"That was one that kind of struck me personally because it was a project that I'd been doing recently and kind of based on one of my books."

For now, it's virtual, pre-recorded or nothing.