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The American Film Institute has chosen 250 classic movie scores as the basis of its latest list of all-time greats.

AFI is joining forces with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra – whose principal conductor John Mauceri is a longtime champion of film music – to present excerpts from the top 25 in a live concert Sept. 23 in Los Angeles.

AFI officials consulted with a group of film music historians, scholars, conductors and others active in the field to come up with the 250 finalists. Then earlier this month, a ballot was distributed to "a jury of over 500 leaders from the creative community, including composers, musicians, film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors and cinematographers), critics and historians."

Excerpts of those scores that receive the greatest number of votes will be played live – and in order – by Principal Conductor John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with classic scenes from many of the films projected on the Bowl's big screens.

Mauceri leads a program called "The Big Picture" at the Bowl every summer. But in a departure, this year's program will not be announced in advance to maintain the surprise of the final 25 until the evening of the performance.

This is the latest effort by the AFI to celebrate the first century of filmmaking. Since 1998, the series has included "100 Years, 100 Movies," "100 Stars," "100 Laughs," "100 Thrills, 100 Passons," "100 Heroes and Villains" and last year's entry, the especially controversial "100 Songs." On June 21, CBS will air its newest special, "100 Movie Quotes."

Interestingly, although the ballot trumpets "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores," no television special is planned to celebrate this list.

Voters have been given the following criteria to make final selections:

• "Film Score: An original music composition written to serve as the dramatic underscore to an American film released in the sound era.

• "Creative impact: Film Scores that enrich the moviegoing experience by bringing the emotional elements of a film's story to life.

• "Historical Significance: Film Scores that create a new sound and, therefore, present the film in a distinct fashion while advancing the art forms.

• "Legacy: Film Scores that are also enjoyed apart from the movie and evoking the memory of its film source, thus ensuring and enlivening both the music and the movie's historical legacy."