A master oud player and percussionist, Subhi was born in Ramallah, Palestine, where he established himself as a young musician, composer, performer and teacher.

After receiving a grant to record his second classical Arabic music (instrumental) CD, Subhi (also known as Abu Kinaan) died as a result of an accident on August 2, 2009, in Ramallah.

[3] Mohsen composed, arranged, (re)interpreted and performed music for educational purposes, television, plays, dance troupes, films and live audiences.

He also taught percussion and/or Oud to children and adults through institutions, schools and private lessons in Ramallah and Jerusalem (Palestine) as well as Boston (1997–1999) and later on, San Francisco (U.S.)[3] Although best known as an Oud player, Mohsen also used the Buzuq,[4] and as a percussionist played derbakeh (tabla), taar, mazhar (frame drum), and daf (tambourine) fusing Arab, Persian, Indian and African rhythms.

Zaghareed could be best described as "an artistic work that combined authenticity with originality, traditional raw material with more modernistic dance components, and finally a very Palestinian theme with attributes that carry a universal appeal.".

[9] In Mawasem, explains Jihad Touma, "Subhi starts in maqam, in a circle widening with revelation, proceeding to a point where, necessarily, commentary falls short."

Commenting on Mawasem, Rabih Z wrote in the June 2006 issue of Time Out Beirut:[11] Mohsen Subhi has a very personal way of playing the oud, due to his previous experience as a percussionist and his subtle assimilation of Indian, African and Mediterranean influences.

[19] The October 2009 issue of This Week in Palestine "shar[ed] words rushed by his untimely departure" [20] "In the act of performance, Mohsen would wrap himself around the belly of his oud – holding on to it as much as holding it – close his eyes, and let handplectrum- fingers-string-nerves-fleshwood fuse into a continuum of vibrations, which entrances as it grips the listener in its resonance."