By Tom Schardin, Staff Writer

In their not-so-secret past, they were the Norvold sisters, three young girls who grew up loving music in the small Minnesota town of Hanska.

"Sister" has recently released a new holiday CD.

Now they are known as the vocal group, Sister, made up of Kjersten Dysthe of Savage, Alisa Leonard of Elko and Kara Millerhagen of Savage. They write, produce and perform their own music and their holiday CD, “Little Gems for Christmas,” will be released online Dec. 1 at www.sisterproductions.com. The CD will also be sold exclusively at Rosie Posie in Savage starting Dec. 6.

Sister also will have a holiday show at Jackson Town Hall in Shakopee from Dec. 13-15, starting at 7:30 p.m. each night. They picked that venue because it “reminds them of home and there’s no traffic, no valet parking, no coat check, no intermission and not a bad seat” in the place.

“We are very excited to have a CD that features most of the songs from our live show,” said Kjersten. “People will be able to bring the CD home and hear the concert in their homes through the whole season.”

The Christmas CD features traditional favorite songs like “Little Drummer Boy” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” along with a new original song from the group called “Snow.”

Sister’s first CD was released in 2000 and it was called “Child.” The theme was songs about children, choice and change, and it celebrated the “child within you.”

That theme also mirrors the personal lives of Dysthe, Leonard and Millerhagen. All three are married with children, so their family lives are woven into their professional lives. There’s a balancing act for each of them as mothers, wives and professional performers. Between them, they have eight children.

“We help each other with childcare and with car pooling,” said Kjersten. “We do everything it takes to get the job done. In turn, our families support our recording. It works out really well.”

Each member of the group also has a lead role other than performing. For Kjersten, she’s the spokesperson and manager, keeping Sister linked to the outside world.

Kara has been dubbed the “writer and resident poet.” Her words keep the group “aligned with their foundational message of freedom and empowerment” through its music. She’s also written a children’s poetry book.

Alisa’s role is music producer, as well as arranging the sound of the musicians who stand behind the group. “Alisa is our resident arranger and is responsible for our vocal harmony stack, as well as the band arrangements, with some suggestions from our talented musicians,” said Kjersten.

Over the years, the three of them have become very in tune to each other regarding what their sound is, who their audience is and what their purpose and goals are. They’ve been able to harness their cohesiveness because, as they grew up together, music was always a way for the three of them to stay connected during childhood and to their adult years, Kjersten explained.

The group has slowly gained some notoriety in the state, as well as nationally, including performing on KARE 11’s morning show with Belinda Jensen, at the Minnesota State Fair, the International MOMS Club Conference, Mother’s of Multiples State Convention, Hearts at Home Women’s event and at Mom Camp.

“Sister is about using our voice in our writing, recording and performance to encourage and empower others to use their voice,” said Kjersten. “Our goal is continue to do what we are doing – write and perform our music and put in out there.”

 Tom Schardin can be reached at tschardin@swpub.com.