Martynas Švėgžda von Bekker was born in 1967. He started playing violin since five years of age; when he was seven, he gave his first recital; when he was 11, the first concert together with Vilnius Symphony Orchestra.

In 1973–1986 he studied at M. K. Čiurlionis Art School; in 1986–1989, at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre under R. Katilius. He developed his skills while studying under Eberhardt Feltz (violin, 1983), Igor Bezrodny (violin, 1985), Igor Oistrakh (violin, 1988), Volker Banfield (chamber music, 1990), Ralph Gothoni (chamber music, 1990), Boris Garlitsky (violin, 1996) and Detlev Kraus (chamber music, 1992). In 1996 he continued his studies at Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg, under Mark Lubotsky.

In 1983 the violinist participated in the Jaroslav Kozian International Violin Competition for Children in Czech Republic (fourth prize); in 1984, in the Lithuanian Youth Competition (second prize); in 1990, International Brahms-Competition (third prize).

In 1991–1995 he performed together with the piano trio Coloris. He won first prizes at the Elise Meyer Competition and Hausmann Chamber Music Competition. Since the 1990s he has performed in Scandinavia, Baltic States, France, Germany, Switzerland and Russia together with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor H. D. Baum), Georgian State Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber, St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Mikkeli Chamber Orchestra (Finland), Hamburg Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras.

In 1993 he performed Alfred Schnittke’s concerto for violin together with Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. This was the premiere of this opus in Germany. The concert received positive reviews. He performed in prestigious concert halls: Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Musikhalle in Hamburg, Sibelius in Helsinki, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, UNESCO in Paris; he has also participated in festivals: Kuhmo in Finland, Les Arces, La Baule, Gerardmer L’ete musicale in France, Modern Music Festival, Riga, Latvia, Bornholm in Denmark, Szimanowski in Poland, Thomas Mann in Lithuania, Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, Reykholt in Island, Ostaschkov Music Summer and Just Friends in Russia, Vilnius, St. Christopher Summer, Druskininkai Summer Music, Biržai and other festivals. Since 2001, he has been the leader of the annual international music festival Alternative.

Martynas Švėgžda von Bekker has published four compact discs: Piano Trio by Shostakovich and Mendelson (Polygram, Germany, 1991), Opuses for Violin Solo by Lithuanian Composers (Dante, France, 1997), Romantic Miniatures for Violin and Piano (Japis, Island, 1998), series of original miniatures Le son et la parole (Baltic Optical Disc, Lithuania, 2005).

In 1997 Martynas Švėgžda von Bekker was awarded the title of the Honorary Cultural Attaché of Lithuania.
He received the Robert Schumann Foundation Scholarship (1997, Paris), the French Government Financial Grant (1996), Oskar und Vera Ritter Stiftung Scholarship (1993, Hamburg), Masefield Scholarship (1992, Hamburg), Rotary International Club Scholarship (1998, Hamburg), M. K. Čiurlionis Scholarship (1987, Vilnius).

Since 2003 he has been teaching violin at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. In 1992–1995 he worked as an assistant of Mark Lubotsky at Hamburg Higher School for Music and Theatre (Hochschule für Musik und Theater). He has been participating in juries of various musical competitions, holding master classes: in Lithuania organised by The Mstislav Rostropovich Fund (2004, 2005), The Royal Conservatory of Music (Denmark, 2005, 2006), Lisbon Higher School of Music (Escola Superior de Musica de Lisboa, 2006), Festival de Gerardmer (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004), Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (Finland, 2001), Normandy (Priore Master Classes, 1998), Biržai Vl. Jakubėnas Music School (1997, 1998), Druskininkai Summer Music Festival (1999, 2000), Nida (2005).