Donald Erb has been played on NTS shows including Tom Furse, with Reconnaissance first played on 10 October 2016.

Donald Erb (b. Youngstown, Ohio, United States, January 17, 1927; d. Cleveland Heights, Ohio, August 12, 2008) was an American composer best known for large orchestral works such as Concerto for Brass and Orchestra and Klangfarbenfunk.

Erb was born in Youngstown, Ohio, graduated from [[Lakewood High School (Ohio)|Lakewood High School, a Cleveland suburb, and gained early recognition as a trumpet player for a local dance band.[1] Following a stint in the Navy during World War II, he continued his career as a jazz trumpeter and enrolled at Kent State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music in 1950.[1] Three years later, he earned a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music.[1] In 1964, Erb earned a Doctorate in Music from Indiana University, where he studied with Bernard Heiden.

In the course of his career, Erb earned considerable recognition. He received the Prix de Rome and was composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He was Distinguished Professor of Composition, Emeritus, at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] He has received grants and fellowships from the Rockefeller, Guggenheim, Ford, Fromm, and Koussevitzky foundations.[1]

Erb's notable students include James Aikman, Margaret Brouwer, David Dzubay, John Mackey, Nickitas J. Demos, and Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, John S. Hilliard, John Krol, and Joseph Hallman.

He died at his home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio on August 12, 2008, at the age of 81.[2]