Ira Hearshen was born in Detroit, Mi. 30 November 1948.

His Music Writing Career began in 1979 when he began working for Composer Joe Harnell on 2 concurrent T.V. series ‘Cliffhangers’ and The Incredible Hulk’ as a film music arranger/orchestrator.

He has steadily worked since in the Motion Picture, Television, and Recording media for such composers as; Randy Newman, Lalo Schifrin, John Debney, Stanley Clarke, Lee Holdridge Michael Giacchino among others. His most recent credits include both orchestrating & conducting the scores to both ‘The Best Man’ & its sequel; ‘Best Man Holiday’, Cars 2, Super 8, Prep & Landing 2, ‘John Carter’, and BarberShop 3. More credits include: Undercover Brother, The Scorpion King, and the complete orchestral scores for all 3 of the Rush Hour, movies as well as orchestrations on A Bug's Life, and Toy Story 2 which included the Sinatra style arrangement of the movie's theme You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman, sung by Robert Goulet recently rerecorded for the Toy Story Environmental Ride to open at Disney World Orlando, Fl. Spring 2018. He was also co-orchestrator on Monsters Inc. and was the arranger for both the rhythm section and the orchestra on ‘If I Didn't Have You’, which won Randy Newman the Oscar for best song at the 2001 Motion Picture Academy Awards.

He also arranged music on the 2009 Oscar telecast and arranged the strings for composer/bassist Stanley Clarke's album ‘1,2 To The Bass’.

His career has also taken him to the theatre having arranged & orchestrated 2 songs for the original cast album ‘Maxie’s’ featuring vocals by; Billy Porter, Jennifer Holliday, Ruben Studdard, & Heather Headley.

Works for the Concert Stage include 2 compositions nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Music. ‘Symphony on Themes of John Phillip Sousa’, a 4 movement Symphony nominated in 1997, and ‘Enterprise’ for Wind Ensemble Choir, & 3 Vocal Soloists nominated in 2008. Other original works include; ‘Divertimento for Band’, ‘Patriotic Overture’, ‘Variations On a Familiar Tune’, Fantasia on the Army Blue and most recently ‘Reveille’ commissioned by the U.S. Army to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the West Point Military Academy & the 200tth anniversary of the West Point Band. The Music College of North Texas State University, Denton, Tx. is honoring Mr. Hearshen with a concert devoted entirely to his music 29 March of this year.