On Thursday, Perelman announced that he believed some of the rules of nonprofits were not being followed at Carnegie and was frustrated that his concerns, which included Carnegie’s methods of overseeing deals that proposed conflicts of interest, were not addressed.
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“If we cannot get these issues resolved, I will not stand for re-election as chairman”, wrote Perelman, who also claimed that while Carnegie’s board had agreed to hire an independent lawyer to investigate his concerns, there had been no progress in selecting a lawyer and no investigation was underway.
The prize grants $100,000, a showcase performance at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and the chance to record for the Warner Classics record label to a classical musician aged 18 to 35.
Perelman, a Wall Street bruiser, has advocated bringing more pop music to Carnegie Hall.
News of Perelman’s slated departure came one day after he sent an email to other members of Carnegie’s board accusing its executive and artistic director, Clive Gillinson, of “a troubling lack of transparency” and charging the board with inadequate oversight and governance. The prize was to have been presented in October at an event hosted by Warner Classics and the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
Since its opening night in May 1891, featuring Tchaikovsky conducting his own Festival Coronation March, Carnegie Hall has always let its music do the talking. Perelman says Gillinson has refused to provide him and the board the necessary information about the hall’s finances that are required by New York law.
Clive Gillinson’s handling of related-party transactions in an e-mailed letter to the trustees on Wednesday.
Gillinson has been executive and creative director of the venue since 2005, and oversees management of all aspects of its operations.
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In May, at a Carnegie Hall gala to honor Mr. Weill, Mr. Perelman thanked his predecessor for his public service.
