Yoni Avital
Lead Vocalist, Flute, Acoustic Guitar
Omnipresent and always humming a tune, Yoni is the founder and leader of The Shuk. Multi-talented and in sync with many international artists, he's shared the stage with the likes of Matisyahu and David Broza.
His performances at the World Music Festival, Chicago (USA), the PORTA World Music Festival (Latvia) and the Western Country Playhouse (USA) have been widely appreciated, along with those in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Germany, Russia among many other countries across the globe.
Hailing from Sephardic and Ashkenazic roots, he comes from a myriad of cultures from Eastern Europe, Brazil, Argentina and Northern Africa and personifies the band’s cross-cultural image and lends multiple dimensions to our music.
Gal Motiuk
Bass Guitar
Sincere, driven, and dedicated, Gal challenges the stereotype of the flamboyant bass guitarist. Striking a chord early in his life, he played with Nahariya’s Young Orchestra and Philharmonic Youth Orchestra at a young age. Later, he also played with IDF’s Orchestra. He is the ever-smiling face at many music groups including his own group The Experiment featuring Neta Barzilay (Eurovision 2018) and other productions in Israel with his diverse abilities in Rock, Jazz, Funk, World Music, Fusion, and Classical.
Gal is integral to The Shuk as a musical innovator and producer. With his zest to invent and accommodate to a variety of genres, he continues to add vital energy to our performances.
Eliran Motiuk
Keyboards
As the spiritual leader of The Shuk, Eliran commands the keyboards and the piano. A true prodigy in his own right, his affair with music began at the age of 7. He first studied the trumpet from Ariyeh Kfir (z’l) at the House of Nahariya where he later became an instructor for woodwinds and piano.
Studied composition and jazz at The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Jerusalem. His professional stints with Hillary Sargeant, Amit Sagi and the group Tree of Life (with Gal Motiuk and Eden Bahar), strongly underline his cross-genre diversity and talents.
For The Shuk, Eliran has been a valuable player since he joined in 2011. He brings in native flavors from Israel and blends them seamlessly into western genres.
Maor Hai
Electric Guitar, Middle Eastern Saz and Oud
A pure natural on guitar and Middle Eastern string instruments, Maor is someone who loves to break rules and think outside of the box musically and in life in general! Music came inherently to him without any formal education. Defining his own path, he started playing Rock at the age of 16. With kindled interests in genres like Flamenco, American Folk, Country Music, and Blues, he remained loyal to Jazz. He continues to play with leading artists and groups throughout Israel.
With The Shuk, Maor’s knack to innovate brings about methodical craziness. He takes our minds out of the box and subtly lends us individuality.
Erez Simon
Percussion
The rhythm in Erez is undying. As a sound engineer, composer, and producer, he interprets music on a finer, technical level. He began to create tunes at the age of 8. His innate originality found form in percussion and drums at the age of 15. Initially part of a Metal group, he gained proficiency in Rock, Jazz, Fusion, and Latin.
Aside from percussion and drumming, Erez is an accomplished singer and songwriter in the genre of Mizrachi Music; a popular musical genre in Israel that combines elements from Europe, North Africa, and the Arab world. Though Erez is of Romanian descent, he represents one of the few of such a background that has mastered Mizrachi Music.