AUBURN GRESHAM — A South Side high school all-boys choir is one step closer to winning it all on “America’s Got Talent” after an all-out performance that impressed judges and secured enough votes from the public to ascend to the finals of the competition.
The Leo High School choir raised the energy in the room — and got some judges dancing — as they moved and harmonized to Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” in Tuesday’s semi-finals episode of “America’s Got Talent.”
Canadian comedian and actor Howie Mandel said the high school choir “checked every box” in their live performance.
“They made it current. They made it fun. They made it trendy. Great song choice. Great performance,” Mandel said.
Spice Girls singer and judge Mel B called the act “brilliant.”
“You guys literally tear at my heart strings because I can see how much this means to you,” she said.
Judge Simon Cowell praised the choir for being “the act that has progressed the most” and shared his love for LaDonna Hill, the school’s choir director. Cowell asked the public to “please give these boys and Mrs. Hill the chance to perform in the finals.”
Hill, who retired this year after 25 years, lost her son shortly before joining Leo High School, she said. Helping to “nurture and shape” the young men has been an honor, she said.
None of the boys in the choir are trained singers, Hill previously told Block Club. The choir director “embraced what they gave her” and worked with them, she said.
Since auditioning for the show in March, the choir has rehearsed twice weekly and performed in a variety of other shows in Chicago, including a ceremony for the new pope and a Wrigley Field show.
“For the last 25 years, these young men have certainly filled this void in my heart,” Hill said. “Seeing the guys growing through this experience has been amazing. This is a special group of guys.”
Students from Leo High School on Chicago’s South Side perform “Lift Every Voice And Sing” during a special mass at Rate Field Saturday, June 14, 2025.
Credit: Heidi Zeiger for Block Club Chicago
Voters heard Cowell’s plea, and in the final moments of Tuesday’s show, the choir learned they’d secured enough votes to advance to next week’s finals. The South Side choir will be one of 10 acts to hit the stage. That number includes six acts advancing from the semifinals and the four acts that received a “Golden Buzzer” from one of the judges during previous performances.
The “America’s Got Talent” finals air next Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 23 and 24. The winners receive not only the championship title but a $1 million cash prize.
“I am absolutely thrilled,” Cowell said. “You so, so deserve this because of your talent, your friendship, your most amazing mentor. Anything is possible now.”
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Ms. Hill is teaching us more than just music, but also how to navigate and operate life.
“I think this act might be the act that has progressed the most. I have to say, I just really really really really like you, and I love Mrs. Hill. So, America, please give these boys and Mrs. Hill the chance to perform in the finals.”