Submitted photoModern Mandolin Quartet

Of all the genres of music out there, bluegrass and classical are two that tend to fill in the blank in this eye-roller of a sentence: “I like/listen to every kind of music except ______.”

Country is without question the most common inhabitant of that blank space. But bluegrass isn’t far behind, with folks turned off by the tinny pluck of the strings and the Southern accents. And classical doesn’t often find its way into the blank, but that’s because it’s like its own planet in people’s minds, estranged from pop and rock because it’s too stuffy, inscrutable, or just plain boring. (By the way, if you think classical music is snoozy or high-faluting, go see Michael Gesme lead the Central Oregon Symphony. He’ll set you straight.)

Anyway, the Modern Mandolin Quartet buys into exactly none of the above. The group started in the mid-1980s as the brainchild of acclaimed mandolinists Mike Marshall and Dana Rath, who wanted to not only revisit the mandolin ensemble tradition of the early 20th century, but also showcase the instrument as more than just a cog in the bluegrass machine.

So they set about merging the worlds of bluegrass, classical and contemporary music. Using a lineup of two mandolins, a mandola and a mandocello, the group recorded four albums for the legendary Windham Hill Records label and toured around the world.

After several years away from the spotlight, the MMQ returned in 2012 — sans Marshall — and released a new album called “Americana,” which celebrates, you guessed it: American music. On Saturday, the group will visit Bend’s Tower Theatre to play everything from Phillip Glass’ minimalism and Irish folk music to Bill Monroe’s traditional bluegrass and the work of Igor Stravinsky.

Modern Mandolin Quartet; 7:30 p.m. Saturday; $27, $35 or $45 plus fees, available through the venue; Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend; www.towertheatre.org or 541-317-0700.

— Ben Salmon