The Orquestra Buena Vista Social Club on Thursday delighted President Barack Obama and his guests at the White House, making the legendary band the first Cuban ensemble to perform at the executive mansion in more than five decades.

The son and bolero group will appear as part of a reception in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, the Associated Press reported. Obama invited newly appointed Cuban Ambassador José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez to attend the event.

Beyond the Cuban envoy, more than 500 guests have received tickets to the reception. The band, led by 84-year-old singer and dancer Omara Portuondo, is expected to play classics including "Chan Chan" and "El Cuarto de Tula," the Spanish news agency EFE detailed. Also participating will be lute player Barbarito Torres, trumpeter "Guajiro" Mirabal, and trombonist "Jesús Aguaje" Ramos.

The Orquestra Buena Vista Social Club was named after a long-defunct members-only venue in Havana. The band was formed in the late 1990s when American guitarist and producer Ry Cooder assembled a group of elderly Cuban musicians, a collaboration that led to a Grammy Award-winning album, as well as a documentary film, the network added.

In March, the group released its third album, titled "Lost and Found," which features a mix of studio sessions from a string of dates through the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as live performances in subsequent years. The recording has topped Billboard's Top World Music and Tropical Albums charts, and ascended to the second rank in the magazine's Top Latin Albums.

The White House frequently plays host to musicians of different genres and varied backgrounds. The president also honors distinguished artist with the National Medal of Arts, an award that has been received by opera singer Renée Fleming, country star George Strait and Latin percussionist Tito Puente, among many others.