A former cheerleader and an aspiring opera singer emerged at the top of Saturday’s third round in the “Idol NV” singing competition at the Napa Valley Opera House, ahead of four other contestants including a football player who sang a Death Cab for Cutie song a cappella.

Self-described “rock girl” Megan Murray, who gave up cheer for singing, won over the three-judge panel with her full-throated performance of “Black Velvet,” a Grammy-winning hit by Canadian singer Alannah Myles.

“You walked onstage with attitude to carry that off — that was really great,” said judge Leah Dahlgren, a trained singer and jazz reed player who called Murray’s voice “more pop and commercial than anything we’ve heard tonight.”

It was a lucky second chance for the 17-year-old senior from St. Helena High, who had not advanced in the contest’s first round despite a powerful performance before a different panel of judges Jan. 13.

Murray was one of three earlier contestants tapped to return for the third round after a bout of strep throat knocked out some of the young singers originally on the card, said Opera House executive director Evy Warshawski.

Saturday’s second winner, newcomer Talia Trozzo, did more than simply sing “In My Own Little Corner,” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1957 telemusical “Cinderella.” Winsomely costumed in a vintage peasant skirt she’d borrowed from her mom, the 14-year-old Napa High School student added a touch of theater to her performance, with stage business involving a low stool and — as Cinderella imagined herself “a huntress on an African safari” — brandishing arms at the judges’ table.

“You really made the song come alive for me,” said judge Vaida Falconbridge, a singer and vocal coach with private studios in Napa and Hercules. Dahlgren commended Trozzo for “acting with the audience and keeping them in mind too … people were laughing and touched.”

Trozzo was one of the evening’s two audience favorites as well as a judge’s pick, entitling her to extra prizes on top of the opportunity to compete for the “Idol NV” title on March 17.

The second people’s-choice winner was Lizzi Jones, a 14-year-old Vintage High School student from American Canyon who was also named an audience favorite in her first “Idol NV” appearance Jan. 17.

Jones, whose performing credits include working with trained animals in the 2005 children’s-television pilot “Lilly’s Light,” sang a love ballad from the musical “Dreamgirls” called “When I First Saw You.”

Dahlgren praised Jones’ “beautiful vibrato” and urged her to “support your voice.” Judge Richard Miami, film and performance manager at Copia and an experienced theater director, admired Jones’ “dead-on” pitch and said “it was nice that you just sang the song instead of trying to over-sell it.”

Amara Friedman-Messeret, a slender 16-year-old Napa High student, sang roots-rocker John Hiatt’s “Have a Little Faith in Me” — erroneously credited in Saturday’s program to Mandy Moore, one of several pop artists (Joe Cocker, Jewel) who have covered Hiatt’s soulful 1987 ballad.

“You have a lovely voice, keep doing what you’re doing,” Dahlgren told Friedman-Messeret, comments echoed by the other judges.

Lauren Robinson, who competed in the second “Idol NV” round before a different trio of judges Jan. 27, returned Saturday for another try.

Robinson could have been thrown when she began singing into a dead microphone, but recovered from the mishap with poise to sing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Think of Me,” from “Phantom of the Opera.”

 “You have a really sweet, tender voice just like Christine would want,” Dahlgren said, referring to “Phantom’s” leading lady.

Falconbridge excused herself from judging Robinson, who is one of her voice students. Master of ceremonies David Burnakus, a longtime opera singer and chorus member, took the vacant seat, calling Robinson’s number “a very good song for you and for your voice.”

The evening’s sole male performer — one of just three brave young men to take the “Idol NV” stage to date — was 17-year-old Kyle Tunnell, who plays football for Napa High and sings in the school’s Chamber Choir.

In T-shirt and jeans, Tunnell sang “I’ll Follow You into the Dark,” by indie-rockers Death Cab for Cutie. His youthful, yet rich tenor soared alone in the acoustically elegant Opera House, without recorded backing or an accompanist.

“Good for you, for doing something a cappella; that is one of the most challenging things you’ll ever have to do,” Dahlgren told Tunnell, adding “Your voice really is lovely. It’s very clear and … easy to listen to.”

Throughout the evening, the judges proffered practical advice along with encouragement: Miami suggested that Tunnell be “more aware of what you’re doing physically on stage,” while Dahlgren and Falconbridge gave the young singers specific tips including “You might want to watch the jumps a little bit,” and “Be really mindful of the tempo.”

There was also a bit of instrumental entertainment when Opera House stagehand Steve Orloff, a Napa High student, brought out his electric guitar for some Hendrix-inspired improvising while the audience ballots were counted.

A busy night of local social events, including a Vintage High dance and the popular Kiwanis crab feed, thinned Saturday’s crowd to about 100 ticketholders, most of them family and friends of the contestants. The next round, Feb. 24, should fill more seats as the competition heats up. There are just two more qualifying rounds before the March 17 final, when the 10 top judges’ picks will compete for the title of “Idol NV.”

Along with bragging rights, the title comes with a $2,000 cash prize, a laptop computer, and bookings to sing at Grad Night in June and before an Opera House headliner sometime this year.

The first runner-up will also take home a computer and cash, with lesser prizes distributed among other contestants.

Warshawski said it’s not too late for motivated young singers to join the qualifying rounds Feb. 24 and March 3. The contest is open to male and female singers age 13 to 18 who live in Napa County.

For information, contact the Opera House at 226-7372 or enter online at www.nvoh.org.