Dr. Johannes S. Nugroho graduated from YPM music school in 1991 with a Performance Certificate and an Award for Outstanding Performance under the tutelage of Mrs. Iravati M. Sudiarso. In 1994, Johannes finished his undergraduate study with a Summa cum Laude from Towson University, Towson, USA. In 1995, from the same university, Johannes completed his Master's degree with an Award for Distinguished Achievements. He studied piano performance under Prof. Reynaldo Reyes and Prof. Roman Lebedev. He earned his Doctor of Music degree in 2005 from Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington as a fellowship student, under the guidance of the late Gyorgy Sebok and Prof. Reiko Shigeoka Neriki. Johannes served as an Associate Instructor for 3 years at Indiana University.

Johannes won numerous piano competitions, among others: First Prize at the 1991 Peggy Yale Gordon Piano Competition, First Prize at the 1992 Aber D. Unger Piano Competition, Prize Winner at the 1993 Talent Award Competition at Towson University, First Prize at the 1994 Peggy Friedmann Piano Competition, First Prize at the 1994 Henry Sanborn Piano Competition and First Prize at the 1995 Sarah Stulman Zierler Piano Competition. He received special prize for the 1999 St. Charles International Piano Competition in Chicago. Some highlights of his career are performing at the Sydney Opera House, Australia, in 2009 and the Berlin Konzerthaus, Germany, in 2012. He was the former dean of Universitas Pelita Harapan Conservatory of Music, from 2006 to 2010.