Armed with a dream, a drum, and the backing of her community, Siobhan Naudé is set to shine on the global stage in Glasgow.
South Africa (11 July 2025) – Siobhan Naudé’s story starts with a beat, one that echoed in her childhood as she watched her dad, lovingly known as “Moose,” drum for the Transvaal Scottish Pipes and Drums. It was in those moments, surrounded by kilts, rhythm, and community, that a young girl’s dream began to take shape.
Now, at just 23 years old, that same girl is about to take her place on one of the most prestigious music stages in the world: the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
And she’s not going alone.
Siobhan, a five-time South African Open Solo Tenor Drumming Champion and current title holder, is flying the South African flag high, both as a musician and as a mentor. She’s the lead tenor for the national title-holding Transvaal Scottish Pipe Band and a dedicated music tutor at St Benedict’s College. But this August, she’ll step onto a global stage as a member of the Manawatū Scottish Pipe Band, one of the top Grade 1 pipe bands in the world, based in New Zealand.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” she says. “To be invited to join such an elite band is something I’ve worked toward my whole life and to represent South Africa while doing it? That’s the absolute dream.”
It’s a big moment. But what makes it even more special is the way Siobhan is choosing to carry her community with her.
She’s launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise R50,000, covering flights, transport, visa fees and all the behind-the-scenes costs that make an international performance possible. So far, R12,550 has already been raised by friends, family, and fans who believe in her journey. And to say thank you, she’s doing something beautifully symbolic: everyone who donates will have their name printed on a “Thanks for Having My Back” T-shirt, which she’ll wear in Scotland. Literally wearing the names of her supporters as she plays for the world.
“I want to show the world what South African drummers can do and that it’s not just me going, it’s all of us.”
And that “us” goes far beyond the borders of her hometown.
Siobhan is the first and only South African to achieve the highest international certification for pipe band mid-section players: a Level 6 PDQB qualification. She’s also a seven-time runner-up in South Africa’s solo bass drumming championships, always coming in just behind her dad.
“It’s a friendly rivalry, but he keeps winning!” she jokes.
This trip is about honouring a legacy, sparking a dream and using her moment to make space for more South African voices in global arenas.
“I come from a small pipe band community on the southern tip of Africa, but I’m standing on a big stage in front of hundreds of people – and if even one person sees this and is inspired to reach for their dream, it’ll be worth it.”
The Pipe Band World Championships are broadcast live on the BBC, with fans and fellow pipers around the world tuning in and hosting watch parties. And somewhere in the crowd, or maybe in front of a screen in South Africa, there’ll be another little girl watching, wide-eyed, heart thumping, dreaming.
And because of Siobhan, she might just believe it’s possible.
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