Elton John's £12m bid to stop sun going down on Royal Academy of Music's theatre

Sir Elton John has pledged to help raise the £12m needed to renovate the Royal Academy of Music’s theatre.

Sir Elton, who studied at the academy as an 11-year-old, is to stage a series of fund-raising concerts.

Last week, in a speech to musicians and benefactors at the central London academy, Sir Elton pledged to help turn the dingy theatre into a professional venue.

Among his audience were the theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh and the philanthropist Dame Vivien Duffield. He spoke after Professor Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, the principal, paid tribute to his “extraordinary” help in raising funds for a £1.2m organ that was inaugurated last week.

After taking to the stage Sir Elton said: “I’m not stopping at an organ. My heart beats with the Royal Academy.”

Referring to Ray Cooper, a fellow musician with whom he raised money for the new organ, he said: “We will help you build this theatre. I will do concerts and help you raise the money.”

He said the academy - whose alumni include the conductor Sir Simon Rattle and the singer Katherine Jenkins - was “a place of sheer joy and exuberance... a place of meticulous artistry where futures are built”.