Carnegie Mellon University professor Leonardo Balada is off to Europe again, only this time not just to native Spain. The Catalan composer initially attends the first stagings of his operas "Hangman, Hangman!" and "The Town of Greed" (both available Naxos) in Madrid and then travels to Berlin to hear the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra give the premiere of his Triple Cello Concerto Oct. 28. Yes, that's three cellos, a part for each of the orchestra's three principal cellists, including Michael Sanderling.

Balada is 74 now and apparently has caught the youth potion that so many composers have, exhibiting as much energy as ever.

Good luck to him on the trip.