Co-founder of the iconic Scottish folk band Capercaillie, he has recorded and collaborated on over one hundred albums with musicians across all musical styles. In addition, he has worked on award-winning BAFTA soundtracks and directed large-scale live commissions.

Since 2006, he has been the Artistic Director of Celtic Connections in Glasgow —the largest roots festival of its kind in the UK, attracting an annual audience of over 100,000 people. His programming has brought together renowned and emerging musicians from more than 40 countries in unique collaborations focused on performances inspired by folk and traditional music, as well as fusion projects that include orchestral music, jazz, electronic, and world music.

He has produced live musical events for the National Theatre of Scotland, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the British Council, WOMAD UK, the BBC Proms, and the London Olympics. Throughout his musical career, Donald has also been involved in composing for film and television, creating and producing music for HBO, Netflix, Amazon, BBC, Channel 4, and US cable channels.