Donald Heminitz began his fife and drum career in January 1999 as a Civil War re-enactor in eastern Pennsylvania. In June 2002, he attended the Eastern Field Music School at Fort Delaware, and at the Don Hubbard Field Music School in April 2004, he was presented with the "Most Improved Fifer" Award. That December, Donald met the members of the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums and the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums (MCV) at the annual Grand Illumination celebration in Williamsburg. In August 2005, he attended his first muster at Fort Ticonderoga with the 3rd NJ Field Music, and in October became the fife instructor for the B.S.A. Troop 53 Fife and Drum Corps (FDC) (later becoming Venture Crew 53) of Maytown, Pa. His fife skills were tested by George Carroll in June 2006 at Fort Delaware and he received the title Master Fifer. Just weeks later on July 4th, the 3rd NJ performed live on Good Morning America at Times Square in New York City. In January 2007, Donald published a book of self-arranged duets and trios under the title Martial Music for the Fife; a second edition was printed in April 2010 that included more tunes along with several quartets. The book can be found via Donald himself or here through Ed Boyle's website. In January 2008, Donald won first place in the national Baconworks Tune-smithing Contest with his original tune "Misty Morning," and in June, he participated with the Colonial Musketeers Senior Ancient FDC in the New Jersey State Association Fife and Drum Contest and as an individual took first place as senior male fifer. In March 2009, Donald participated with the Camp Chase Fifes and Drums in Chillicothe, Ohio in the recording of their fourth album, “Echoes From the Past,” and in June, he was added to the faculty of the National Civil War Field Music School in Petersburg, Va. Donald began 2010 in early February by performing with MCV in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo held in Sydney, Australia, and on July 4th, he again appeared with MCV on stage with the Boston Pops. Later that year, he participated with the 85ème Régiment de Saintonge in a re-enacment at Fort George in Ontario, Canada and in early 2011 in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. In May, Donald performed with MCV in the Sweden International Tattoo in Malmö, Sweden. Currently, Donald is a fifer with the Middlesex County Volunteers, the Bostonia Allarum Companie and Boston Fife and Drum Service. He is also the fife instructor for the Lincoln Minutemen Fifes and Drums of Lincoln, Mass and was instructor for the Troop/Venture Crew 53 FDC for almost five years. Donald graduated in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. In April 2010, he relocated to eastern Massachusetts to explore more first hand the New England fife and drum tradition. In the summer of 2011, Donald began working as a historical interpreter at Plimoth Plantation.