Our annual guide to Richmond’s largest music festival features a mix of artist profiles, a talk with a longtime volunteer, a glimpse at the annual banjo competition and a profile of one of the festival’s sign language interpreters.

The Choirmaster: Larry Bland celebrates 50 years leading the Volunteer Choir with a performance featuring Cora Harvey Armstrong

Most likely to draw a huge crowd: Mavis Staples

Best musical slapstick: Zhou Family Band

Most likely to induce a trance: Bounxeung Synanonh

Tim Timberlake’s Tips for Watching the Fourth Annual Banjo Competition

Volunteer Profile: Diane Muska

Breaking Taboos: A pioneering female bluegrass singer talks about the challenges and thrills

Bounce Begins With B: A godfather of bounce, New Orleans’ Ricky B. makes his debut in Richmond

Sibling Success: The younger sister of Jerry Lee Lewis forged her own boogie-woogie path

Resilient Music: A Puerto Rican salsa band survives Hurricane Maria and comes back stronger

Found in the Masquerade: This year’s Virginia Folklife Area explores various costuming traditions in Virginia

Music for Folks: The great-nephew of Django Reinhardt takes his guitar duo in new directions

Heeding the Call: A piper, who is also a doctor, keeps an Irish folk tradition alive

Signs and Wonders: A lifetime of trust goes into interpreting the music onstage through sign language

Festival Notes