Abstract: Pages of the Russian music culture, associated with the prerequisite of the solo performance on domras, by the first performers and their repertoire remain unknown. There is little understanding of the biographies of the first prominent domra players – P. P. Karkin, V. V. Katzan, and others, whose work requires more understanding and assessment. This is primarily due to the fact that throughout the first years after the reconstruction, domra was mostly used as an orchestral instrument, but rarely allowed to lead. The author examined various archive materials and publications, as well as used art-studying approach, comparative-historical methods, and the work with the archives. The article presents the first attempts of solo performance on domras, dates of the domra players’ first performances, and the main artistic trends – different arrangements of popular classical music and clear intention towards the cantilena style. The author underlines the prevalence of the ensemble forms of domra performance – duets, trios, and quartets. The author determines and clarifies the years of life and work of the first domra-alto player P. P. Karkin, certain details from the biographies of the first domra players P. I. Alekseyev and V. V. Katzan, as well as their repertoires and dates of the first solo performances.