Around age 15, Millo Castro Zaldarriaga plays bongos at a New York birthday celebration for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, earning enthusiastic applause from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
On 30 January 1937 (using President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s actual birthday as a conventional alignment for an event otherwise dated only by year and age), approximately fifteen‑year‑old Millo Castro Zaldarriaga played her bongó drums at a New York birthday celebration for U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Educational summaries and the historical note to the picture book Drum Dream Girl describe this performance as a highlight of her teenage career.[6][5]
Sources recount that Millo’s drumming at the presidential event drew enthusiastic applause from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, symbolizing how far she had traveled—from a girl forbidden to drum in Cuba to a young Afro‑Chinese‑Cuban percussionist featured on a prestigious U.S. stage.[6][5] Her presence at such a celebration underscored the growing international appeal of Afro‑Cuban rhythms during the 1930s and the emergence of women as visible performers in jazz‑related genres.
Historically, this appearance helped cement Millo’s reputation as a world‑famous musician who played alongside leading American jazz artists of her era.[6][5] Although detailed set lists or press coverage have yet to be located, the story of her New York performance circulates widely in children’s literature, classroom biographies, and online educational resources as evidence of her boundary‑crossing success and as an early example of cultural exchange between Cuban popular music and U.S. audiences.