When LaDonna Hill brought the Leo High School choir to Southern California in March to audition for NBC’s America’s Got Talent, she had no expectation that the group would get a callback. She had done it as an educational experience for the choir, which hailed from the majority-Black, all-boys Catholic school in Auburn Gresham. After all, Hill — the choir’s director for 19 years — never held auditions of her own. All were welcome. “Most of my boys had no musical experience,” Hill says.
If you watched AGT this season, that might seem hard to believe. Wearing their Leo High School letterman jackets and tees, the choir members charmed viewers across the country with their soulful interpretations of pop-rock anthems and creative choreography. With the city increasingly following their progress as they advanced through multiple auditions and four rounds of competitive live performances, the boys ended up making the finals, where they placed fourth. “Nobody would’ve thought that we made it, but we did,” says Kevin Williams, a 16-year-old junior in the choir.
Impressing notoriously tough judges like Simon Cowell was one thing. (“You’re going to inspire so many people,” Cowell told the boys at the finale.) But the choir also won the hearts of Chicagoans. This summer, the boys performed at Wrigley Field as part of the Cubs’ Juneteenth festivities and at the celebration of Pope Leo XIV at Rate Field. Shining on a national stage, they bolstered civic pride at a time when it is particularly needed. “What people know about the South Side, especially given our current political context, is that it’s a ‘hellhole,’ right?” says Shaka Rawls, the school’s principal. “It’s been characterized as a war zone by Donald Trump, but what he failed to mention was the 18 boys that went out to California and showed the world who Chicago actually is.”
Many of the choir members graduated from Leo in the spring, and Hill has since retired. But their performances left a lasting mark on the city. “As soon as you get on the CTA bus or you walk into a store, people recognize that AGT Leo jacket,” says Williams. “I’ve had people tell me, ‘You bring light to the city, keep going.’ ”
