E R N E S T O M O N S A L V E was born in Valladolid, where he began his education, which includes the Professional degree in Music specializing in Piano, a Litentiate degree in Conducting and Symphony Orchestra from the ABRSM (UK), and a Ph.D. cum laude in Musicology from the University of Castilla–La Mancha (UCLM), with his dissertation Antonio Salieri: From Fiction to Reality. He also holds a Law degree from the University of Valladolid and a Master’s in Cultural Management from the University of Alcalá de Henares. He has taken masterclasses with Miguel Frechilla, Juan Mª Esteban, Francisco Navarro, Bruno Aprea, and Pilar Alvira, and made his conducting debut at the age of 17. Shortly afterward, he founded and became the main conductor of the Joven Orquesta Sinfónica de Valladolid (JOSVa) in 2003, which he continues to lead to this day, combining this role with media work, teaching, and composition. He is the author of Salieri: el hombre que no mató a Mozart (Rialp, 2024), the first Spanish-language biography of the Veronese composer, translated and published in Italian (Ares, 2025).
As a cultural manager, he has directed more than a hundred performances, galas, and recordings. Internationally, as a guest conductor—sometimes under the «Marca España» banner—he has led ensembles such as the National Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra and Choirs of the Kronos Philharmonic Society and the Plurinational Conservatory of Bolivia; the Symphony Orchestras of Arequipa and Cuzco (Peru); the San Remo Symphony Orchestra (Italy); the Lyceum Mozartiano Symphony Orchestra and the choirs of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television, Matanzas, and Schola Cantorum Coralina, among others, in Havana (Cuba); the Wien-Accord und Kammerensemble of the Minoritenkirche and the Henry Purcell Kammerkoor in Vienna (Austria); the Gents Universitair Symfonisch Orkest (Belgium); the Bicentennial Youth Orchestra and the Lyrical Orchestra of Buenos Aires (Argentina); the Choir and Orchestra of the Grand Opera Theatre of Rousse (Bulgaria); and the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Cuenca (Ecuador), among others. In Spain, he has conducted the Orquesta y Coro Filarmonía de Madrid, the Complutense University Orchestra of Madrid, the Orchestra and Choir of Rey Juan Carlos University (Madrid), and the Provincial Youth Orchestra of Málaga, as well as nearly every choral ensemble in Valladolid, including the Orfeón Complutense, Orfeón Burgalés, “Ángel Barja” Choir of León, and the “Miguel de Cervantes” Choir of Alcalá—often performing his own compositions. Alongside the artists who have collaborated with the JOSVa and the OFV, he has worked professionally with composers Marco Frisina, David Rivas, and Pablo Toribio; ethnologist Joaquín Díaz; actors María Galiana, Juan Antonio Quintana, and Lola Herrera; playwright José Luis Alonso de Santos; scholars Godofredo Garabito and José Delfín Val; and poets Carlos Aganzo, Ángel Mª de Pablos, and Jesús Fonseca.
A member of the faculty at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), where he served as Director of the Music Department (2021–2024), he is currently Director of Music and Performing Arts Projects in the university’s Vice-Rectorate for Knowledge Transfer. He teaches Music and Politics (UNIR) and Performer Entrepreneurship (Forum Musikae). Numerous cultural and academic institutions, universities, and conservatories around the world frequently invite him to deliver lectures and masterclasses, and he also serves on various international juries.
As a composer, his notable works include Las Mujeres de Baco for string trio and English horn, sponsored by Jesús López Cobos; Maestro: Oda a Miguel Delibes, with text by Carlos Aganzo; the sacred opera Ansur, commemorating the 900th anniversary of the death of Valladolid’s founder, with text by Carlos Aganzo and Darío Velao; the Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in Ghent, composed during his Erasmus fellowship in Belgium; the symphonic poem Emprender for piano and orchestra, written for the 125th anniversary of the Valladolid Chamber of Commerce; the musical El Príncipe de las Estrellas; and the Anthem of Medina de Rioseco, among others. He is also the author of the orchestration and critical edition of the Anthem of Valladolid, composed by Liébanas and Varona in 1935.
A regular presence in both specialized and mainstream media, he currently directs and presents «Historia de la Música» on Radio Clásica (RNE). He has previously appeared on Clásicos Ma Non Troppo (Las Tardes de RNE) with Lourdes Maldonado, El toque maestro (RNE-5) with Roberto Santamaría, «¡Música Maestro!» (CyLTV) with Cristina Camell, and «Clásicos en Bañador» (Cadena SER) with Carlos Flores. He is also a contributor to Scherzo magazine and has participated in musical experiments on «El Hormiguero» (Antena 3) and the musical surprise for Concha Velasco on «Mi casa es la tuya» (Tele 5).
Under significant international attention, he was responsible in 2016 for the premiere of the cantata «Per la ricuperata salute di Ofelia», composed by Mozart and Salieri in the 18th century and long thought lost until its rediscovery that same year by Dr. Timo J. Herrmann. The German musicologist took part in the events organized by Monsalve at the San Joaquín y Santa Ana Museum in Valladolid.
He has been an Honorary Cultural Advisor and member of the Editorial Board of the Valladolid Provincial Council since 2012, awarded the Grand Plaque of the Order of Charles V since 2018, and is a member of the Spanish Society of Musicology (SEdeM). Since 2023, Seat No. 15 of the Teatro Zorrilla of Valladolid bears his name in his honor.