Leo High School Boys Choir Advances On ‘America’s Got Talent’: the Leo High School choir from Auburn Gresham secured enough votes Wednesday night to advance to the semifinals.

By Leen Yassine

August 28, 2025

AUBURN GRESHAM — A South Side high school choir is advancing to the semifinals on “America’s Got Talent” after securing enough votes from the public Wednesday night.

The Leo High School all-boys choir performed “Believer” by Imagine Dragons in the quarterfinals Tuesday night. The song was chosen by the choir and show producers, said Choir Director LaDonna Hill.

The performance left an impression on the judges — and on America, as viewers voted to get the boys to the semifinals.

“You guys have been one of the best things I’ve seen tonight,” actress and judge Sofia Vergara said after Tuesday’s live performance. “What a gift. … We can tell that you’ve worked so hard. Congratulations.”

Spice Girls singer Mel B said the choir “just lit up this whole entire place,” and she would have used her golden buzzer on them if she hadn’t used it already. On the show, each judge can use one golden buzzer button to send acts straight to the live shows, bypassing the chance they’ll be eliminated.

Simon Cowell — who said he had a “really good feeling” about the choir — was also impressed by Hill, who retired this year after 25 years at Leo High School. The choir director stood by the judges table leading and cheering on the boys as they danced and sang on stage.

“Everyone in life, I believe, does need a mentor,” Cowell said. “This is what this show is all about.”

While awaiting voting Wednesday in Pasadena, California — a long way from the boys’ usual stage at their Catholic high school in Auburn Gresham — Hill told Block Club she’s feeling “a burst” of joy and gratitude for what the 18-member choir has been able to accomplish together.

“I woke up this morning feeling so pleased, and this great sense of joy,” she said. “Also an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the young men and them respecting and loving and trusting me to lead them through this process and their career at Leo [High School]. … I have just all of these emotions this morning, of gratitude and joy and pride.”

Hill’s also thankful for the parents, the Leo High School community and her “own personal community and village,” she said.

“I also felt that America will see really what hard work looks like,” she said. “It took so much hard work, just collectively. … Being open to work together as a team, staying focused, just the things that we talk about so much in school.”

As Hill and the boys awaited voting results Wednesday, she said she felt at peace. It’s all about embracing the work, she said.

“My father was a pastor and used to preach a sermon and kind of got famous for it. … He was a former cotton picker, and so I know about hard work and embracing it, and I’ve learned to love it. It doesn’t scare me; it motivates me,” she said.

While none of the boys in the choir are trained singers, Hill “embraced what they gave her” and worked with them. “It’s what you see, and that’s where the tears really come from. Just the overwhelming sense of pride and respect for them, for the students,” Hill said. “A lot of times, they say the teachers inspire the students. … I certainly attempt to do that, but I’ve also experienced the students inspiring me.”

Since auditioning in March, the boys have been dedicated to their twice-weekly rehearsals and a variety of other shows in Chicago, including a ceremony for the new pope and a Wrigley Field performance, Hill said. While the boys are loved in Chicago, “America’s Got Talent” noticed them and sent them a message last year.

“We had caught their attention, and they had their eyes on us. And so basically, from that point, my first initial Zoom [call] happened in November of last year, and it became intense from that point on,” Hill said. “A lot of hard work, meeting with them and meeting deadlines.”

While Hill and the boys “want to win it,” she also just hopes to shine a spotlight on Chicago.

“I love my city, homegrown in Chicago,” she said. “To the entire city, to the mayor and his support, to our city councilmen … I want them to know we love and appreciate them for their support. And we’re doing this for our city. We want people to remember that there is still good coming out of our community, and this is a reminder.”