Twenty years ago, there were only five klezmer bands in existence. Now, there are about 100 klezmer bands playing around the world, but only five of them tour internationally.

One of them is The Klezmatics.

Among the most imaginative and adventurous of these five touring bands, The Klezmatics comes to Ames Thursday night to perform a concert celebrating its ancient Jewish roots.

Stemming from traditional European folk music, Klezmatic tunes have been known to include everything from a dulcimer to an accordion. Although the main instruments in the band are violin, clarinet, trumpet, bass, drums and accordion, the group has mixed in other instruments periodically, such as the wooden flute and bass clarinet.

“Most of the people in the band play a few instruments,” Violinist Alicia Svigals said.

But it’s not necessarily the instruments that give The Klezmatics its authentic style. Svigals said there are very specific klezmer methods the band members had to learn before they started playing.

“In order to play this style in an authentic way, there’s a vocabulary of techniques and ways of developing a melody. There are different ways of phrasing and changing rhythm,” Svigals said. “It’s learning another musical language.”

Svigals was trained in many other musical languages before she decided to devote herself to the klezmer style. Although classically trained as a child, she developed an interest in styles such as bluegrass, Cuban, klezmer and other ethnic styles during her teenage years.

After graduating from college, she found an ad in her local newspaper announcing an open violinist position in a klezmer group. Interested in the idea of being a part of a professional klezmer band, she auditioned and was chosen to be in The Klezmatics.

Since the group was founded in 1986, The Klezmatics has performed with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner, Moroccan folk ensemble The Master Musicians of Jajouka, Israeli singer Chava Alberstein, New York City avant-rockers Elliot Sharp, Marc Ribot and John Zorn, and members of the Flying Karamazov brothers.

Last but not least, the band has appeared with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman in his Emmy Award-winning PBS special, “In the Fiddler’s House,” and on “Late Night with David Letterman.”

“That was really fun doing a duet with Itzhak Perlman,” Svigals said.

The group has made five albums of its own, two with Perlman, and it is currently rallying behind its newest album, “The Well.” Despite the band’s success, Svigals said her main purpose is not necessarily to produce countless CDs, but to keep the rich tradition of klezmer music alive.

“It’s a folk music tradition, mostly passed on,” Svigals said. “There’s evidence that it goes back hundreds of years.”

The Klezmatics will play at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Stephens Auditorium. Student prices are $11, $9 and $6 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets.