Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, Di Donato discovered music at the age of twelve, when he began playing in his father's ball orchestra.
He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris where he obtained his first prizes in clarinet and chamber music.
He has made numerous collaborations with artists such as Louis Sclavis, Pierre Boulez, Bernard Lubat, among many others.
He appeared as soloist in various orchestras, notably with the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France from 1978 to 1990.
In 1998, he designed the B♭ clarinet model and the Signature for the Henri Selmer Paris instrument maker.