Julian Kuerti is take on conducting the Boston Symphony at Symphony Hall in Boston next March in one of four concerts he is scheduled to conduct in the coming year.

The Canadian conductor and son of renowned pianist Anton Kuerti is also preparing himself to step in for James Levine and other great conductors if the need arises, he told CBC Radio's Q cultural affairs show.

Julian Kuerti is looking forward to conducting his first concert in Boston with the Boston Symphony.
(Matti-Hill)

"With the Boston Symphony — I'd like to think that it's probably the best assistant conductor position that exists —  all you really do is prepare a program just in case you have to jump in if somebody gets sick or, as happened last year, somebody has an accident and you have to complete performances," Kuerti, 30, said.

Trained as a violinist, Kuerti began his three-year tenure as assistant conductor this October and has moved to Boston.

The position of assistant conductor varies from orchestra to orchestra, he said, and it's rare to have the opportunity to conduct in the first season.

But Boston allows four chances to conduct annually, as well as the prestige of working alongside Levine, a conductor with an international reputation.

It's been an adjustment to learn the culture of a North American orchestra for Kuerti, who did most of his training in Germany.

"An orchestra is like a company, and there's a certain culture. Orchestra culture in America… is so different from the way it works in Europe," he said.

Kuerti trained as an engineer before deciding he wanted to conduct.

"When I decided to pursue music seriously, I ran away to Europe," he said, explaining that he needed to be somewhere where he wasn't in his father's shadow.

"It wasn't just because I wanted to learn another language — German. Also, I think for me it was very important to go somewhere [where] I could know that what I was doing and the success I was having was largely attributable to my own accomplishments."

Anton Kuerti said he's "thrilled" by his son's new position and will be there for his conducting debut in Boston.

He lost his wife, Kristine Bogyo, to cancer earlier this year and says he's spending a lot of time carrying on her musical projects, including the Moordale Youth Orchestra in Toronto.

But the two Kuertis plan some appearances together in future, with Anton at the piano and Julian handling the baton. To date, appearances next season in Hamilton and Edmonton have been confirmed.