Knoxville Symphony sued for allegedly rejecting White male clarinet player over anti-DEI stance

Clarinet player James Zimmermann is suing the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra over allegedly refusing to hire him over his past stance against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Zimmermann announced in a video on X Monday that he filed the lawsuit several weeks ago after winning a blind audition for the Knoxville Symphony in September. He claimed that the CEO, Rachel Ford, informed him via email days later that he was no longer being considered.

“[B]ased on a number of items which have come to the attention of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra regarding your employment with the Nashville Symphony, I regret to inform you that the KSO has decided not to move forward with offering you a contract of employment,” the email reportedly read.

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He explained that he was the principal clarinet of the Nashville Symphony from 2008 until 2020, when he was “canceled” for resisting DEI policies within the orchestra. The Washington Free Beacon previously reported on Zimmermann’s termination in 2021 after he pushed back against efforts he said were promoting diversity over merit.

Zimmermann added that he is suing the orchestra for one year’s salary plus $25k to compensate for time practicing ahead of the audition after learning that his position was going to what he described as an “obvious DEI hire who’s still in college.”

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“I’m suing because these orchestras can’t keep throwing out their best players to make room for diversity hires and putting race and politics above merit and skill,” he said. “All this does is lower the quality of the music, alienate audiences and turn the arts into politics.”

In a comment to Fox News Digital, Ford said that the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra expects to make a public announcement on the matter later this week.

Zimmermann reiterated his support for merit-based orchestra auditions to Fox News Digital and added that there is far more open support for fairness now than there was in 2020.

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“No question there’s been more support in 2026 than there was in 2020. Six years ago, when the Nashville Symphony was being overtaken by DEI, I sounded the alarm, but it fell on deaf ears. My colleagues thought I was conspiratorial or downright crazy. It’s different now though,” Zimmermann said.

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He added, “There are still detractors out there, but they’re vastly outnumbered by people wanting to push back against the insanity of DEI. A blind audition is the most meritocratic system imaginable, and it’s clear that people see Knoxville’s refusal to hire me as an attack on meritocracy. You don’t have to be a symphony aficionado to understand how outrageous this is.”