Jaben Sim (MM ’23, Instrumental and Orchestral Studies, horn) took an unconventional path to becoming a musician. After earning a degree in aerospace engineering, he made a pivotal decision to pursue his passion for music instead, completing his undergraduate studies at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, before continuing his musical training at Tianjin Juilliard under the guidance of his professor, Han Xiao Guang, who joined the school as resident faculty in 2019.
From 2023 to 2026, Sim served as a section horn with the National Center of the Performing Arts Orchestra (NCPAO) in Beijing. In 2026, he joined the New World Symphony in Miami as a first-year fellow, embarking on the next chapter of his orchestral career. We caught up with him to reflect on his journey and lessons learned along the way.
You worked with the NCPAO for 3 years from 2023 to 2026. How did you enjoy the life and work in Beijing?
Things move a lot faster as you prepare new repertoire every week, so you have to become independent quickly, and collaborate with those around you as best you can. After some time, once I found my balance, I began enjoying the work a lot more. It can be challenging: adjusting to a new city, finding a place to live for the first time, and to find my place in a busy, unfamiliar environment! But once the tide settled, I began to appreciate the beauty of the city and enjoy my life in Beijing.
What lessons can you share from your time at Tianjin Juilliard?
The school is world-class in many ways, particularly in its resources and the willingness to support students who might have unconventional but creative ideas to explore various artistic endeavors, giving students the freedom to execute those ideas and see them through. The process may be challenging, but Tianjin Juilliard encouraged us to delve into pathways we might previously have never thought about. I also found classes such as Dr. Niccolo Athens’ sonata form class to be incredibly applicable, and I still think about what I learned from his classes all the time.
If you could go back to your days at Tianjin Juilliard, what would you do differently, and why?
If I could go back, I would try to be less afraid of making mistakes during performances. It is something that I am still working on, but in school, I would invest so much of my mental energy into making sure not to make mistakes during performances, that I ended up making more mistakes instead. It is more important to prepare well, and to trust that preparation, instead of trying to take control of every single moment of a performance. Additionally, I would have made the effort in showing more empathy to my classmates. Mutual understanding is what makes cooperation go a long way.
What advice would you give to students considering applying to Tianjin Juilliard's graduate program?
Be bold and chase your dreams! If you have already chosen to pursue music at the graduate level, you clearly did not decide on a whim. Spending your time thinking if this is right for you instead of actively putting in effort to pursue your dreams is a waste of time. There is no such thing as failure, only paths that may not be quite right for you. You can discover the path if you give yourself fully to the process.