John Persen

Norwegian composer John Persen was born at Porsanger on 9 November 1941.

His 1985 opera Under kors og krone was based on the 1852 Kautokeino rebellion. Other works include the 1990 orchestral work The John Persen Guide to the Orchestra and Things Take Time (1985) for electronics.

He founded and was first director of the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, won prizes for his work, and was given honorary membership of the Norwegian Society of Composers.

John Persen died in Oslo on 12 December 2014, aged seventy-three.