Accomplished musician sues symphony after he was allegedly rejected for opposing DEI

(LifeSiteNews) — A well-accomplished clarinet player is suing the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) for allegedly rejecting him over his criticism of “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

James Zimmermann said he had the highest score of any clarinet player during an audition last fall with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Zimmermann previously “was the principal clarinet of the Nashville Symphony from 2008 until 2020, when he was ‘canceled’ for resisting DEI policies within the orchestra,” Fox News reported.

Zimmermann said he has played music for Disney’s theme parks, movies, and famous video games.

In a post on X, Zimmermann alleges he initially received an offer from the KSO but had it withdrawn.

“In September the Knoxville Symphony invited me to their blind audition for Principal Clarinet, which I won by unanimous vote,” he wrote on X. “Two days later their CEO called and refused to hire me, citing my ousting from the Nashville Symphony six years ago for resisting DEI as the reason, and instead gave the job to my runner-up, an obvious DEI hire who’s still in college.”

He wrote further:

In response I sued the Knoxville Symphony two weeks ago for a year’s salary plus $25k for the 100 hours I spent practicing for the audition. This isn’t just about money though, it’s also about pushing back against these symphony CEOs who continue to put race and politics above merit and skill. Someone has to save our symphonies from being sacrificed on the altar of “diversity” and no one is better positioned to do it than me. Wish I didn’t have to do it but I’m doing it anyway.

CEO Rachel Ford, who reportedly withdrew the offer, told Fox News a statement on the issue is expected.

A representative told Newsweek: “The KSO employs musicians and staff members of varying backgrounds and viewpoints.”

“But the KSO’s decision regarding Mr. Zimmerman was never about politics or viewpoints,” the spokesman said. “The KSO made the decision not to hire Mr. Zimmermann due to legitimate safety concerns as confirmed by the Nashville Symphony. Our organization maintains a duty to all of our employees that they should always feel – and remain – safe while at work.”

Conservatives generally argued this story shows the destructive, anti-merit nature of DEI.

“This is the evil of race supplanting merit within our moral compass,” black conservative Eli Steele wrote on X.

“Institutions that enforce DEI policies and quash merit need to be punished severely and then captured,” Federalist editor John Davidson wrote. “And if they can’t be captured, they should be destroyed. If this is how Knoxville’s symphony orchestra is run, it would be better if Knoxville had no symphony orchestra.”

Institutions that enforce DEI policies and quash merit need to be punished severely and then captured. And if they can’t be captured, they should be destroyed. If this is how Knoxville’s symphony orchestra is run, it would be better if Knoxville had no symphony orchestra. https://t.co/H1l2oPYTM7

— John Daniel Davidson (@johnddavidson) January 5, 2026

Meanwhile, Bulwark reporter Andrew Egger appeared to back up the orchestra’s comments about Zimmermann, suggesting he had an anger issue.

“It’s totally possible Zimmermann WAS given an unfair shake throughout his snafu with a few other orchestra members,” Egger wrote. “[The Washington Free Beacon] piece suggests as much. It was 2020; a lot of crazy nonsense was going on. But that doesn’t mean he was fired for being a white guy, as his post implies.”

Writing in 2021, Aaron Sibarium noted that the story given by the Nashville orchestra was that Zimmermann was erratic.

“To hear his accusers tell it, Zimmermann had insulted, intimidated, and even stalked his black colleagues, going so far as to menacingly drive by their homes,” he wrote for the Washington Free Beacon. “Human resources had already warned the clarinetist in 2019 that his behaviors could be grounds for dismissal, the orchestra claimed in its termination letter to Zimmermann.”

Yet, Sibarium wrote there was more to the story. According to the reporter, “six of Zimmermann’s ex-colleagues and the orchestra’s own documents tell a very different story.”

“They suggest that Zimmermann himself was the target of a witch hunt, instigated by a black oboist whom Zimmermann had stuck his neck out to help,” he wrote.

The Free Beacon reported the firing came after Zimmermann argued for a trial period for a mediocre, and black, oboist. Others wanted to offer the musician a full-time contract, something that occurred by a unilateral decision from an orchestra executive.

The full account is detailed here.