Pierre-Vincent Plante was born in Montreal in 1955. At the age of 10, he began his first oboe lessons with Réal Gagnier. In 1967, he entered the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, where he continued his studies with Melvin Berman and Bernard Jean. After competing in 1974-75, he was awarded a first prize in oboe as well as a first prize in chamber music conducted by Otto Joachim. He was a laureate of the OSM Competition in 1974. During the summers of 1972 to 1974, he participated in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. After these unforgettable experiences, he decided to devote himself fully to music.
In 1973, he became a member of the Orchestre de Radio-Canada in Montreal, where he held the position of second oboe and English horn for three years.
A scholarship recipient from the Canada Council for the Arts in 1975-76 and 1976-77, he continued his studies in Paris with Master Pierre Pierlot at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. During these two years in Europe, he also participated in classes with Heinz Holliger in Freiburg. While in France, he played with Léo Ferré and the Orchestre de Chambre Bernard Thomas. During the summers of 1975 and 1976, he joined the Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales.
Upon his return in 1978, he won the position of English horn with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec. Since 1984, he has been the solo English horn of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.
Very popular on the Montreal scene, he performs with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, I Musici de Montréal, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, and the SMCQ. He recorded Arthur Honegger’s Concerto da Camera with Musici de Montréal (Chandos label). He has been a soloist with the OSM, I Musici de Montréal, the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the Orchestre de Radio-Canada in Quebec, the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Les Violons du Roy, the SMCQ, and the Orchestre de la Montérégie. He has played under the baton of Jean Martinon, Charles Dutoit, Zubin Mehta, Franz Paul Decker, Rafael de Burgos, Esa-Pekka Salonen, James DePriest, Pierre Dervaux…
Since the age of 17, he has been a member of the union and has gained experience in studio work, television, and film. He has worked with André Gagnon for television (Les Forges de St-Maurice), and with Frédéric Bach, Léa Pool, and Jean Lemire for movie musics. He has also played on recordings for Ginette Reno, Diane Dufresne, François Dompierre, Lee Gagnon, Marie Carmen, and Lara Fabian.
He has been a lecturer at the Université de Montréal since 1999.