At the age of 11, Dicterow made his solo debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.

In 1967 at age 18, he appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Andre Kostelanetz, presenting the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.

Notable moments in his career include being featured in Leonard Bernstein's Serenade during a New York Philharmonic tour of major American cities in 1986 with Bernstein himself conducting, performing at the White House in 1982, and playing Carmen Fantasy under Zubin Mehta's direction in a Live from Lincoln Center concert telecast in 1990.

During his tenure with the Philharmonic, he worked with music directors Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel, and Alan Gilbert.

On May 24, 2012, Dicterow announced his decision to step down as concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, embarking on a new chapter by joining the faculty at the University of Southern California.