Wesla Whitfield charmed an appreciative audience at the Napa Valley Opera House last week, and for the first time, she sang as a local.

She and her husband and accompanist Mike Greensill have moved to St. Helena after long being based in San Francisco but working often in New York.

Whitfield had performed in the downstairs Cafe Theater but this was her first time on the main stage.

The theater is a perfect venue for the songs Whitfield sings. With its intimate ambiance and superb acoustics, it’s ideal for any soloist or small group. Her repertory is drawn primarily from the Broadway tunes, movie songs and Hit Parade numbers known collectively as the Great American Songbook.

Of course, some might associate her music moiré with smoky lounges and tinkling glasses, for the sophisticated music she sings recalls Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart and other giants of the American musical stage.

The songs may be from musicals and Tin Pan Alley, but she gives them all a jazz phrasing and tempo that keeps them from being trite. Mastering the syncopation and improvisation that define the great American contribution to music, she sings both familiar and unfamiliar songs with feeling.

She didn’t choose easy material, either. Upbeat songs can hide imperfections, but Whitfield focused primarily on slow, sometimes heart-wrenching ballads including “The Man I Love,” “I’m Glad There is You,” and “Heart and Soul.”

An unusual treasure is that like other great interpreters of popular classic American songs such as the late Ella Fitzgerald, Whitfield sings not only the familiar choruses, but the little-heard verses that set their stage.

She added a few topical verses to some pieces, delighting much of the audience, though obviously annoying some Republicans in the audience.

Whitfield appeared on stage in the wheelchair she has had to use since a freak accident many years ago, “dancing” gracefully a bit in the awkward chair and sharing tender moments with Greensill. He played a few solos including the introduction with a bass as well.

The concert was performed without intermission, a long time for some unsuspecting attendees, but the length was just about right at an hour and a half.

With Whitfield and Greensill now resident in the valley, we can look forward to hearing them more, I’m sure. Look for their next appearance for a treat.