The first iteration of O douce Providence [“O Gentle Providence”] centres on the live French-language first-person account (with English surtitles) of Hervé Bertrand, a Duplessis Orphan. Performed as six connected movements, this forty-minute work by composer Alyssa Ryvers integrates video, theater, oral history and Québécois folk music performance with classical music composition.

Hervé Bertrand, a prominent and lifelong activist and leader, recalls making a commitment to himself at age 15 while interned at Mont Providence, then a psychiatric institution, « Que ça soit réglé pour l’an 2000 ! » [“I am going to resolve this by the year 2000!”]. Now in his 80’s, together with other remaining survivor-activists, Mr. Bertrand continues in his quest to this day.

A Duplessis Orphan, having grown up under the public guardianship of Quebec, Mr. Bertrand recalls learning two traditional French songs per day—a total of 600 to 700 songs. A proficient singer and harmonica player, having learned the instrument in hiding while living at Mount Providence, Mr. Bertrand can still play and sing many of these songs today.

President of the Comité des Orphelins et Orphelines Institutionnalisés de Duplessis (COOID) ["Committee of Institutionalised Duplessis Orphans"], he was also one of the organisation's foundational members. In 2012, Mr. Bertrand was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, for exceptional service to his fellows.

O douce Providence was premièred by The Chamber Players of Canada at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, as part of the 2016 Music and Beyond festival—a co-commission from Music & Beyond and The Chamber Players of Canada.

This work is available for performances in Quebec, across Canada and internationally, with surtitles or closed captions available in several different languages. Its presentation is appropriate for high school audiences, and can be scaled to fit venues of various sizes and stage configurations.