Donna Long grew up in Los Angeles, California. As a child, she was introduced to music by her father, Byron Long, a pianist in both the jazz and classical genres. After moving to Baltimore in the early ‘80s, a chance meeting with Irish fiddler Brendan Mulvihill gave her the inspiration to learn the fiddle and accompany him on the piano. They played as a duo for ten years and recorded two duet albums together, The Steeplechase and The Morning Dew.

In 1995, Donna became a member of Cherish the Ladies and toured with the band for ten years. She recorded six albums with them, including New Day Dawning, Threads of Time, and The Girls Won’t Leave the Boys Alone.

Her solo piano CD, Handprints, was released in 2003 to critical acclaim. It featured reels, jigs, hornpipes, and slow airs. Her composition Luna includes musicians Billy McComiskey, Liz Knowles, and her son (and fellow IMI instructor) Jesse Smith. She performs in the Baltimore/Washington DC area with artists Billy McComiskey, Laura Byrne, and Peter Brice. Through the years, she has played many tours with the National Council for the Arts accompanying artists such as James Kelly, Brendan Mulvihill, Jerry Holland, Seamus Connolly, and dancer Kevin Doyle.

She teaches both piano and fiddle. In 2008, Donna was awarded the MD Arts Council Teacher/Apprentice Grant, which honored her piano student Matt Mulqueen; and again in 2019, which honored her fiddle student Mikela Murphy.