John Andreas Persen (9 November 1941 – 12 December 2014) was a Norwegian composer.

John Persen grew up in a laestadian, Sami family in Ráigeadja in Porsanger Municipality and was a son-in-law of Finn Strømsted.

[2] He was a key player involved in Kunstneraksjonen 74 (an artist' right pressure group) and important advocate for the New Music.

[3] Together with Olav Anton Thomessen, he was a key initiator for the establishment of Norsk Musikkinformasjon in the early 1970s, which he was a board member of several times in the 1970s and 1980s.

Furthermore, he was the initiator and first leader of the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival (1990-1994).