The surprise star of fall TV: Leo Catholic High School choir director LaDonna Hill

LaDonna Hill grew up surrounded by music as a pastor’s kid in a bustling south suburban church.

What came next was a career in gospel music and a job as a teaching assistant at Leo Catholic High School, a small, historic campus in Chicago’s Auburn-Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. Hill eventually became the full-time choir director there, getting three degrees in the process.

She was finishing up her final year of teaching and planning her retirement when her all-boys choir got the attention of “America’s Got Talent” after a video of them performing on CBS went viral.

And even though Hill says she is retiring for good from her teaching job after 25 years, the former Leo Catholic High School choir director has stuck around to support the all-boys choir as they prepare for a third appearance on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” on Tuesday.

In doing so, she has become a compelling story all her own. Judge Simon Cowell previously praised Hill’s efforts and handed her the mic, bringing attention to her commitment to a choir that requires no audition — exposing dozens of Black and Brown boys to the arts over the years.

“I made a commitment to not be elitist,” Hill said in a recent conversation. “I didn't do it the textbook way, and that's why I wanted any kid that wanted to be in my class.”

“I had kids that didn't know how to sing at all, even that you see now on [“America’s Got Talent],” she added. ”If they were willing to give me effort, I was willing to work hard to make sure I got them to where they needed to be.”

In their first appearance on June 10, the boys blew the judges away with their cover of “Born For This” by The Score, quickly advancing to the quarterfinals. Their next performance, a cover of Imagine Dragons’ “Believer,” inspired viewers all across the U.S. to vote for them in an audience-based ballot to advance to Tuesday’s start of the semifinals.

“I told my husband, ‘I don't expect to see you until the end of September,’ because I just feel that good about what's happening,” Hill said.

Hill retired this year, but it wasn’t the first time she’d contemplated stepping away from the school. Back in 2019, she’d begun considering what her life outside of Leo might look like.

But a few conversations with school staff who begged her to stay on helped change her mind. “I'm so glad I did at that point,” she said.

This time around, Hill is ready to step back.

“I'm still in my prime, so there's more I can do musically and that I’m looking forward to doing,” she said. “I've left [Leo] much far better than I received it, and so I can be at peace with that.”

From the age of 3, Hill sang regularly at Revealing Baptist Church in Crestwood. She eventually learned how to play the clarinet, and she later found a passion for percussion and the piano.

“It was just something that I loved. I feel like it was innate in me. I've never known life without music,” she said.

Though she enjoys all types of music, it’s gospel that feels bone deep for Hill. She studied under gospel legend Rev. James Cleveland, the founder of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.

With the gospel workshop, Hill got to travel and perform at the former UIC Pavilion in Chicago and Madison Square Garden in New York. It also connected her to another mentor: Inez Andrews, who wrote “Mary, Don't You Weep” for Aretha Franklin. “She was like my grandmother in the industry,” Hill said.

Her experiences in the world of gospel music put her on a launch pad for success, leading to tours in Spain, South Africa and Switzerland as a vocalist and pianist.

But lately, Hill has landed in Pasadena, California with 18 Leo choir boys. As a part of this season’s “America’s Got Talent” cast, they’re meeting daily with producers for dress rehearsals, wardrobe fittings, photos and more.

And her former students and colleagues agree: The choir probably wouldn’t have made it as far as it has without Hill. “I feel like we got here only because of our hard working choir director,” said 18-year-old Keith Smith, who graduated from Leo earlier this year.

“She holds us to a very high standard every time we rehearse. Even if we’re just gathering together for a quick 10 minute practice, she still wants to pull 110% energy out of you,” he continued. “Now we here, but it's all based off hard work.”

That’s the “thing” about Hill, said Josue Ríos, another recent graduate of Leo High. “[She] sees the potential in every single one of us,” he said.

Many members of the Leo choir consider Hill a “second mom.” Her lessons go beyond the music, they said.

Leo Catholic High School President Dan McGrath agrees.

“I think she goes a little bit beyond what the rest of us do,” he said. “She has genuine empathy and compassion for the boys, and they pick up on that, and I think it really inspires them to do their very best.”

An alum of Leo, McGrath has seen the neighborhood change a lot over the years. Residents and businesses have come and gone, but he’s stayed put.

McGrath remembers people talking down on the school when he started his role back in 2010 after a career in journalism. Enrollment had fallen, the school was behind on its bills and many community members wondered if it’d be closed.

Things really turned around for Leo when they hired Dr. Shaka Rawls as principal, McGrath said. Rawls, of “incredible energy and enthusiasm,” has also been accompanying the choir in Pasadena, McGrath said.

Enrollment this fall peaked at the highest numbers in 30 years, McGrath said. Many parents of new students have already volunteered their sons to be in the choir, too.

And the school is planning a huge watch party for the choir on Tuesday, he added.

“With all this nonsense about President Trump sending troops here and referring to Chicago as a ‘hellhole’ and a ‘killing field,’ I think we're a very nice offset to that,” McGrath said.

“We're one of the really good things about Chicago, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We're not just representing Leo High School, we're representing the whole city.”