As a soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, he performed Henri Tomasi's Trombone Concerto.
Prior to his tenure in Cleveland, DeSano was principal trombone of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra from 1964 to 1970.
DeSano attended the Eastman School of Music as a graduate student, where he studied with Emory Remington.
He received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Ithaca College.
Notable pupils include Megumi Kanda, principal trombone of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, James Box, principal trombone of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and Jeremy Buckler of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra[1][2] DeSano can also be heard in many Telarc recordings under the baton of Lorin Maazel.