Mexican quartet Villalobos Brothers perform Tuesday at the Tower Theatre.

Ernesto, Alberto and Luis Villalobos are the core members of the Villalobos Brothers, a world-class band that fuses Mexican folk songs, Latin jazz and contemporary classical music into an intoxicating sound that’s equal parts traditional and modern, uproarious and elegant, approachable and jaw-dropping.

It’s a blend that has carried the group around the world for performances at hallowed venues like Carnegie Hall and world-class events such as the Latin Grammy Awards and the Montreal Jazz Festival. On Tuesday, the band will hit the stage at Bend’s Tower Theatre.

All three brothers were kind enough to answer a few questions from GO! Magazine about their origins, so rather than yammer on, we’re going to let them talk. Here’s our conversation, edited for space and clarity.

GO!: How did you all evolve from brothers into a band?

Ernesto Villalobos: It just happened organically around the kitchen table, perhaps while listening to our Abuela Cristina. She would accompany herself on the guitar or the accordion. After noticing our early interest in music, our mom decided to look for a violin teacher. She found a grumpy expat who was just arriving back to Mexico after playing violin for the Vienna Philharmonic for 17 years. He was rumored to be the best teacher in town. There was only one problem: He refused to teach us. My mom insisted. He refused and refused and refused again. My mom persisted; she begged just to get me an audition (I am the oldest). Eventually, the three of us ended up studying with Carlos Marrufo, our dear violin teacher, for many years. To my knowledge, he never charged my parents a penny for the private lessons.

GO!: Can you tell me about where you grew up? Were you surrounded by music?

Alberto Villalobos: We grew up in a small town close to Xalapa, Veracruz, in Mexico. We were homeschooled and had a lot of time to play music and just be kids. Nowadays, it’s very difficult for kids to find time to just play and be creative. The school system can be almost like a prison for creatives — a bit too square — and I believe kids would benefit from learning at their own pace, at home. In our case, we grew up around people who cared about us and let us find our own answers. We were really fortunate to have a very supportive environment to play music and create art at home.

GO!: When you decided to start a band, did you have a vision for what kind of music you wanted to play?

EV: I think our style started off as contemporary classical, after many years of conservatories and learning the European tradition of counterpoint and harmony and style. But after a while, we decided we also wanted to sing and have fun and relax on stage and recreate the traditional group jams that one encounters in Veracruz. So our stage music adapted and we started writing our own songs, borrowing elements from Mexican folklore and adding the rhythms and groove of Son Jarocho, the indigenous music of our state.

GO!: Why is it important to you to incorporate traditional Mexican folk music into your songs?

AV: I really love and respect traditional Mexican music, in particular Son Jarocho, Son Huasteco and Mariachi music. I had the chance to learn directly from one legendary folk musician in Mexico (Elfego Villegas). He was a true master of his craft and he taught me to respect and honor the tradition. I can say I learned as much from him as I did from my classical violin teachers, because they all equally shared the passion and the utmost respect for music-making. They just had different approaches and styles, but in the end, the music was always the most important.

GO!: What do you see as the primary goal of Villalobos Brothers?

Luis Villalobos: I see (us) as many things, but one of the most satisfying is to be creators. We do not create things with an ulterior purpose, like a product. We create for the pleasure that the act brings on itself, and striving for beauty. It is rewarding to see that our music has the power to inspire people, to open their imaginations, their creativity, to expand their boundaries and even to dismantle old prejudices. We are trying to remind people, even if just for a brief moment, that the most valuable and beautiful things in life are always within our grasp.

GO!: Given the politics around the U.S./Mexico border, do you see your band as playing a sort of ambassador role for Mexico in the U.S.?

EV: I have brought my fiddle and my guitar to every state of this great country. I have played music with the Hawaiian troubadours on the beach and for the dairy farmers in Vermont. And everywhere we go, we are always welcomed with a smile, because music is the universal language. When it comes to music, all of us vibrate in the same frequency. Yes, I think it is appropriate to call us cultural ambassadors. The U.S. government has a cooler name for us, though, which, by the way, is the name of one of our albums: “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability.”

What: Villalobos Brothers

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, doors open 6:30 p.m.

Where: Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend

Contact: towertheatre.org or 541-317-0700