Belfast commuters treated to choir on BBC Music Day

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Belfast Gospel Community Choir
Image caption,

Commuters at Lanyon Place Station were treated to a performance from the Belfast Community Gospel Choir

Thousands of commuters in Belfast were treated to a performance by the Belfast Community Gospel Choir as part of BBC Music Day.

Friday's event is an annual UK-wide celebration of the power of music to change lives.

BBC NI will hold special programmes and live performances and activities across BBC Radio Ulster to celebrate.

BBC Music Day has a number of notable ambassadors, including Kylie Minogue, Nile Rogers and Dame Vera Lynne.

This year's Music Day themes include women in music, university fresher's week and choirs and community.

Image caption,

Kylie Minogue is just one of many notable BBC Music Day ambassadors

In Belfast, Lanyon Place station was one of 40 train stations across the UK taking part in 'Platform to Perform'.

BBC NI head of entertainment and events, Mike Edgar, told BBC News NI that it was a "tremendous" way to start BBC Music Day.

Mr Edgar said BBC Music Day started in Northern Ireland off the back of Londonderry's term as UK City of Culture in 2013.

He added that the event, now in it's fourth year is "a day to celebrate the joy and power of music".

Northern Ireland-born singer Gary Lightbody, the front man of Snow Patrol, backed a new BBC website launched as part of Music Day which aims to help by connecting dementia patients with the songs they love.

The star, whose father has dementia, said: ""Music can have such a powerful effect.

"It fires all sorts of things in the brain much more immediately than anything else can, whether it be pictures or old home movies or conversations.

"Music can somehow take you to a place of your youth, or an important part of your life you may not otherwise have access to."

Elsewhere in the UK passengers travelling to Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester and Reading were treated to announcements by Kylie Minogue.