Donald Erb (1927–2008) was an American composer whose music explored electronic sound and the possibilities of acoustic instruments. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he played trumpet in dance bands before serving in the Navy. He studied at Kent State University, the Cleveland Institute of Music and Indiana University, working with Marcel Dick and Bernhard Heiden, and also studied briefly with Nadia Boulanger. His long association with the Cleveland Institute included leading its composition program. Erb received the Cleveland Arts Prize in 1966 and held residencies with the Dallas and Saint Louis symphonies and at the American Academy in Rome. His catalogue encompasses more than a hundred works, often combining instrumental virtuosity with unusual ways of producing sound.