A trip to Nova Scotia by a couple of locals, a random encounter at a coffee shop and a tradition of touring by two musicians have conspired to land a Canadian singer/songwriter duo in the spotlight at the Union Alley Coffee House tonight.

The Beaufort County Traditional Music Association brings Naming the Twins — Robbie Smith and Kathleen Glauser — back for another show starting at 7 p.m. Two years ago, the duo sold out the venue. When Smith and Glauser called to say they were touring again this year, BCTMA members sent out an open invitation to return to Washington.

“They have a good show: a lot of good songs, a lot of good harmonies, a lot of good picking. They’re very entertaining. They’re very energetic — crowd pleasers. They keep it lively and they keep it moving,” said Linda Boyer, BCTMA’s board chair.

BCTMA came by Naming the Twins through a chance encounter: a couple of BCTMA members were vacationing in Nova Scotia three years ago and stumbled upon the pair performing in a coffee shop. They loved their music — a mix of traditional American and Canadian folk songs played on acoustic guitar — so much so, they invited Smith and Glauser to visit, and perform, on their next trip south.

Their tongue-in-cheek self-description on their website claims, “Naming the Twins is the harmonizing duo of Robbie Smith and Kathleen Glauser, whose well-matched voices sound a bit like Simon & Garfunkel if Art was a girl; a bit like Peter, Paul & Mary, if one of the boys was taking the night off; a bit like Gordon Lightfoot or Stan Rogers if they had had a girl harmonizer. Not twins by birth, but twins at heart, they share a sibling-like sense of humor and harmony.”

Last year, BCTMA brought 18 featured shows to the Union Alley Coffee House, in addition to the non-profit’s open jams every Thursday evening and Saturday morning, and an open-mic night the first Saturday night of the month. The group only charges for the feature performances — all the other events are free.

Tickets for tonight’s show are $8 for BCTMA members and $10 for non-members, and all attendees are invited to join the association for $24.

“We are currently having our membership drive,” Boyer said. “We have over 100 members for this year already, so we’re very excited about that.”

For more information about BCTMA and upcoming shows, visit www.bctma.org. Union Alley Coffee House is located in the back of the Inner Banks Artisans’ Center, 158 W. Main St., Washington.