Musically precocious, Gonsalves quickly absorbed his father’s lessons and then, barely into his teens, went to Bombay to join his fellow Goan musician.
During the mid-1950s, attempted to merge the symphonies of his Goan heritage with the Hindustani melodies and rhythms in films of the day.
Chopra (Naya Daur, Waqt), Naushad (Dillagi), and Chetan Anand (Haqeeqat).
[3] In 1958, Gonsalves founded the Indian Symphony Orchestra (as distinct from the Symphony Orchestra of India) featuring playback singers Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey as soloists, the works were performed in the quadrangle of St. Xavier's College, Bombay.
In 1965, Gonsalves quit the film industry and went to the United States, via a travelling grant from Syracuse University in New York.