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Donald O. Johnston was born in Tracy, Minnesota on February 6, 1929. He graduated from Northwestern School of Music in Evanston, Illinois in 1951 with a bachelor of arts in Music Composition. During the Korean War, Johnston enlisted with the United States Army in 1951 and served as composer, performer, and arranger with the 45th Infantry Division Band. Following his military service, he worked as a conductor of the college-community symphony orchestra and college band at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho. He took a different position in 1955 and became director of instrumental music at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin. He joined the faculty at the University of Montana-Missoula in 1960 and served as professor of music composition and composer-in-residence. He would serve in that capacity at the University until his retirement in 1993.

Johnston pursued graduate work at Northwestern University, the Indiana University School of Music at Bloomington, and the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in New York. He received his Master of Music degreee in Music Composition from Northwestern in 1954 and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Rochester in 1961.

Johnston composed chamber music, choral pieces, orchestral works, and music for bands throughout his career. In 2004 he founded Ars Nova Press, Inc., a publishing house that devotes itself to promoting the work of classical composers. Donald Johnston serves as President Emeritus of Ars Nova Press and resides in Brookings, South Dakota.