By Tom Keyser

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center has announced a 2012 classical season filled with firsts.

Music fans will welcome Yannick Nezet-Seguin, music-director-designate of the Philadelphia Orchestra, who will make his SPAC debut. He will conduct the orchestra for three performances, including one that features superstar pianist Lang Lang.

Other firsts and plenty of highlights mark the summer season when the New York City Ballet (July 10-21) and the Philadelphia Orchestra (Aug. 1-18) settle into Saratoga Springs for their annual residencies — from the world premiere of a Justin Peck ballet (the first world premiere by City Ballet at SPAC in 27 years) and the return of Peter Martins’ ballet “Romeo and Juliet” to the performance by Lang Lang and other classical stars, such as Joshua Bell and Yo-Yo Ma.

See the complete City Ballet season and the complete Philadelphia Orchestra season.

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By Tresca Weinstein, Special to the Times Union

Melissa George and Laura Teeter, dancers with the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company, have been living parallel lives for quite some time now. Both women graduated from the Boston Conservatory in spring 2004, joined Sinopoli’s company that summer, and have been with her ever since.

“I didn’t anticipate being here this long, but the longer I stayed, the more confident I became, and the more I felt my artistry growing,” Teeter said recently. “I was pretty lucky to land the perfect job for me right out of college.”

In their time with Sinopoli, Teeter and George have seen the company’s public profile grow as well, along with its reputation and base of support. This year, the troupe celebrates its 21st anniversary as the resident company of The Egg. Its annual “home” performance is slated for 8 p.m. Friday.

What accounts for the longevity of the company and its dancers’ long runs? (A third dancer, Claire Jacob-Zysman, has been with the troupe for six years, while Marie Klaiber, Andre Robles and Sara Senecal are newer additions.) George sums it up in two words: “Ellen’s passion.”

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